Thanksgiving weekend is easily one of the busiest periods of the year on Iowa roads. Patrick Hoye, chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says the congestion increases the risk for crashes. (click on the left side of the audio bar to listen)

Over the past decade in Iowa, the state’s Department of Transportation reports the Thanksgiving weekend has produced 25-percent more fatal crashes than any other holiday weekend. The night before Thanksgiving is a particularly dangerous time because of alcohol-impaired drivers.

Last year in Iowa, five people were killed in traffic crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday period – which runs this (Wednesday) evening through Monday morning.

(Radio Iowa)