Senate designates Nov. 27 as ‘Drive Safer Sunday’

ATLANTA — Nov. 27, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, has been designated by the U.S. Senate as “Drive Safer Sunday.”

“Dangerous driving results in terrible accidents that cost money and unfortunately, sometimes even lives. The holidays are a particularly dangerous time on the roads and should not end in tragedy,” U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said in a statement. “We must do a better job of educating all drivers to be safer on the road at all times.”

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day on the highway, thereby increasing the chances for wrecks, officials said. The “Drive Safer Sunday” resolution encourages motorists, trucking firms and law enforcement agencies to work together to make the roads safer for all travelers during the holidays and throughout the year.

“As a father and a grandfather, I share the concern families have when their loved ones are traveling on the road,” U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said in a statement. “It is my hope that this resolution will serve as a reminder to all those traveling during the Thanksgiving holidays, and all year long, to be safe, vigilant and alert.”

The resolution was named in honor of Cullum Owings, a college student from Georgia who was killed in a crash while driving back to school after Thanksgiving 2002. Owings’ parents started Road Safe America after Cullum’s death.