GILROY
– Gilroyans on their way to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving
will be joining the expected 3.7 million other Californians
traveling 50 miles or more on state highways between today and
Sunday – the most since 1998, according to the American Automobile
Association.
GILROY – Gilroyans on their way to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving will be joining the expected 3.7 million other Californians traveling 50 miles or more on state highways between today and Sunday – the most since 1998, according to the American Automobile Association.
“What we are hearing is that the economic conditions are forcing people to drive to their holiday destinations, often hundreds of miles,” said Jennifer Mack, a spokeswoman for AAA of Northern California. “With the highways so crowded, it will be important for drivers to take extra precautions.”
Locally, the California Highway Patrol will be using all of its power to enforce those precautions and prevent any Thanksgiving tragedies on South County roadways notorious for dense holiday traffic.
At 6 a.m., the CHP began a “maximum enforcement” period in the Gilroy area that will last until late Sunday evening. During that time the CHP will have nine to 11 officers patrolling the local highways per shift, compared to the normal five to seven. The officers will be posted in traditionally congested areas and in Gilroy’s gateways, including Highway 152 near Pacheco Pass – where a fatal accident occurred in heavy traffic Friday afternoon – and along U.S. 101.
The increased CHP officers will be looking for any type of careless driving, but especially for people not wearing their seatbelts and drivers under the influence of alcohol, said Terry Mayes, spokeswoman for the CHP.
“It’s really sad because everybody is in a hurry to get to their family’s house in Southern California or wherever they are going, but they don’t realize an accident can ruin the holiday – not to mention a life – just like that,” Mayes said.
“With the high volume of holiday traffic in the area, especially around Gilroy, there will be accidents,” she said. “The important thing is to save lives by making sure everyone is wearing their seatbelt.”
With the traffic, gas prices are also expected to increase throughout the state this week, according to AAA, although local gas stations are not reporting any change in prices.
Rotten Robbie, 390 Leavesley Road, had its regular unleaded gas for $1.55 per gallon today, which was “the exact same as last week,” according to manager Sally Cortez. A manager at the Gilroy Chevron Station, 5887 Monterey Road, said he has no plans to increase the price of his gas, currently set at $1.69 per gallon for regular unleaded.
Thanksgiving travelers can expect varying gas prices throughout the state. While $1.62 is the current state average for a gallon of regular unleaded, the same gallon will cost $1.58 in Los Angeles, $1.64 in San Jose and $1.79 in San Francisco.
“We have basically seen a slight rise in prices the last few days,” Mack said. “The increase in demand cuts the supply and forces prices up.”
One thing that will be on the motorists’ side is the weather. The National Weather Service is forecasting sunny and dry conditions throughout the weekend, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s.
But even the mild weather won’t prevent traffic congestion. Motorists should expect long lines of cars waiting to enter U.S. 101 at all Gilroy onramps throughout Wednesday and Thursday and slow travel on Highway 152 between U.S. 101 and I-5 on Sunday, Mayes said.
“There is no question traffic will be at peak volume, and people need to realize that before they go wherever they are going,” Mayes said.
More than 3,105 motorists have already been killed on California highways this year – less than the 3,243 highway deaths on this date in 2001 – but still too many lives lost that could’ve easily been saved by wearing seatbelts in most cases, Mayes said.
Mayes recommends that families driving long distances during the weekend make sure to pull over every two hours or 100 miles to stretch and take a short break from driving. The increased presence of CHP officers will also serve as reminders to people, Mayes said.
“The idea is to try and get as much ‘in-view’ enforcement as possible,” Mayes said about the maximum enforcement. “When people see an officer, they remember to buckle-up and be alert. We are not out there to give tickets – we are there to heighten awareness and save lives.”
