Millions travel back home Thanksgiving weekend

After spending Thanksgiving with her family in a rented beach house in Santa Cruz, Monica Lodge packed up to head back to Redwood City, California.

“You don’t want to go like in the afternoon, going you know back to the Bay Area, it would be dreadful,” said Lodge.

It’s the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend, one of the busiest travel days of the year. AAA predicted nearly 49 million Americans are traveling 50 miles or more to and from their turkey day destinations, which is an increase of more than one million travelers compared to last year.

“It’s been really busy, said traveler Gabby Hughes. “Like we’ve been in different hotels and now we’re just driving again. We’ve been on the road a lot.”

Studies said the rise in Thanksgiving travel can be attributed to an improved economy and gas prices that are the second cheapest in nearly a decade.

“Our assignment this time of year is to make sure that it’s safe for people to commute on those freeways and highways,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Jose Chavez.

The California Highway Patrol is teaming up with other law enforcement agencies across the country for a Maximum Enforcement Period where officers will be cracking down on behaviors that could lead to crashes and fatalities.

“People that are impaired, DUI’s, people that are driving over the speed limit,” said Chavez. “Unsafe lane changes and also we’re looking for people that are using their cell phones.”

The CHP said last year more than 1,000 people were arrested for driving under the influence and 35 people died.