Maine Department of Public Safety urges caution when travelling this holiday

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - The holiday season is upon us and with it many across the state will be travelling to see friends and family.

But before you head out there are a few things to keep in mind.

AAA projects that 2.5 million people across New England are expected to travel during this coming holiday.

2.1 million of those will be making the trip in their car.

“We know that it’s going to be extremely congested out there on the highways, it could take you twice as much time to navigate through some of those larger metropolitan areas,” said Pat Moody of AAA Northern New England.

With the added number of drivers comes additional risks to account for.

“You’re going to be sharing the road with folks that may be distracted, they may be in a rush. They may be preoccupied with other things or they may also be impaired so you really need to step up your awareness and your game in terms of being a safe driver to get to your destination safely,” said Moody.

The Maine Department of Public Safety says that those who plan on having even one drink should designate a sober driver.

“So, whether you’re, you know, having a few drinks or you know marijuana is legalized now, so there may be folks that are participating in that and they just need to remember to not drive impaired,” said highway safety director Lauren Stewart.

They also warn about potentially slippery roads as well as exercising additional caution with less daylight hours.

Even if you plan to get to your destination through the air there are some things to plan for, too.

“We know that the parking lot is going to be full, filling up a little bit quicker at the airports is going to be more congestion in the airports in terms of getting through security. So, you definitely want to plan ahead, put a little extra time into your schedule so that you can get, get to the airport, find a parking spot and then navigate through security in time to get to your gate in time for your flight,” Moody added.

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