Black Friday shopping will soon get underway, and the roads around Northeast Georgia's biggest shopping centers are likely to be full well into the weekend.
With that in mind, Georgia State Patrol Corporal Spencer Munger has some tips to help people get to and from stores safely.
"Traffic does pick up, and when traffic picks up, obviously traffic crashes do," Munger said.
He says shoppers should make sure they leave in plenty of time to account for delays and practice safe driving habits like not texting and driving. He also said, while road rage doesn't tend to be a major issue, drivers should try to stay calm despite the stresses that can come with the weekend.
"Don't engage in confrontation," Munger said. "Just go with the flow if you can and try not to drive aggressively or, you know, cut somebody off."
The roads, though, won't be the only places where crowds will be an issue. Munger said if an accident happens in a mall or shopping center parking lot, drivers should try to move the vehicles out of the way themselves. He said to only contact law enforcement if the crash is significant.
"If there's mall security there, you can advise them of (the incident), but it wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and call 911," Munger said.
Fortunately, road work shouldn't cause shoppers any problems when trying to get to their destinations. Georgia DOT Spokeswoman Katie Strickland says all lane closures from construction are being suspended for the holiday weekend starting on Wednesday morning. She said the closures won't resume until early Monday unless an emergency situation requires crews to resume work.
