Kentucky safety officials advise ‘Buckle Up Phone Down’

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky’s highways will be busy with travellers during Thanksgiving week, and safety officials are advising them to buckle up their seat belts and put down their phones.

Kentucky Office of Highway Safety acting Executive Director Jason Siwula says this is one of the busiest travel times, and deaths and injuries can be prevented by fastening safety belts and putting cellphones down.

Last year, there were nearly 2,000 crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday in Kentucky, with 420 injuries and seven deaths. Three of the people killed weren’t wearing a seat belt, and one death involved a distraction.

As of Thursday, there have been 659 Kentucky roadway deaths in 2019, 10 more than the same time last year. Of those deaths, 265 weren’t wearing a seat belt, and over 140 involved distraction.