As Christmas approaches, community members are encouraged to prioritize safety when it comes to traveling.
Levelland Police Chief Albert Garcia offered several safety tips for individuals during the holiday break.
“One of the biggest things people can do is be drive safely as the holiday season means traveling on roads in heavy traffic,” said Garcia. “Travelers can expect congested roadways as families are traveling out of town to spend time with loved ones.
Garcia suggests abiding by the rules of the road and following all instructions for the safety of all drivers.
“We want them to make sure that they’re abiding by the rules and they’re seeing vehicle warnings or warning lights on the side of the vehicle on the side of the road,” said Chief Garcia. “Make sure you move over and slow down. That’s what the state law stipulates with those kinds of things and always take heed to what other drivers are doing.”
Paying attention and being a good defensive driver in any traffic is important. Especially for motorcycle riders.
“It’s getting to the point now where drivers of any vehicle need to be a defensive driver and make sure that they are paying attention to what other people are doing,”explained Garcia. “We want to make sure that when they’re out there on the roads they are making sure that are paying attention to all the road conditions, the traffic signals and any emergency lights that they may see on the on the side of the road.”
Garcia cautioned drivers to be aware of public safety and road workers doing their jobs along busy roadways. He added that slowing down and or moving to the farthest lane will ensure those working during the holiday break will return home safely to their loved ones.
Additional safety measures that can be taken for travelers is when traveling a long distance make sure that they let other people know where they’re going and what route they may be going on.
In the event that something catastrophic may happen such as a broken-down vehicle or something to that effect, friends or family members should have a general direction of which way someone is traveling.
“If you let people know where you are going, we can get out there and look for you,” said Garcia. “If you’re traveling outside of the general area and going to be gone for several days, think about calling the Levelland Police Department and putting your house on the house watch so that we can make sure that we’re driving by and checking your property.”
Chief Garcia says that type of thing can be done very easily by just calling the LPD at 806-8946164 and letting telecommunicators know that citizens want to put their house on a house watch.
“We will ask you a few general questions and it doesn’t take long to get that done,” explained Garcia. “We’ll make sure that we’re ensuring the safety of our residents and one of the questions on there is going to be is basic contact information if something happens.”
This step is something most citizens do not take advantage during holiday travels, but the option can provide peace of mind for its citizens.