Thanksgiving is next week and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation  kicks off the first of its holiday enforcement programs on November 18th.    Click It or Ticket will run through December 4th. State and local police departments are partnering with PennDOT to step up traffic enforcement during the holidays.

“Operation Safe Holiday” will include crackdowns on speeding, aggressive driving and driving while impaired, as well as seatbelt enforcement.  Erin Waters of PennDOT says the Thanksgiving Holiday is one of the busiest travel times of the year. In 2010, there were more than 4,300 crashes in Pennsylvania over the period, including the weekends before and after Thanksgiving. She says 55 people were killed in those crashes.

PennDOT is reminding drivers to be well rested and alert before they hit the road and avoid distractions behind the wheel. They say drivers need to take regular breaks during long trips. That means getting out of the car every 100 miles and taking a 10 minute break.