Oregon Public Broadcasting

Fewer people died on Oregon highways over this past Thanksgiving holiday weekend than in nearly a decade.

Two people were killed in traffic crashes over the holiday weekend this year, compared to four fatalities last year.

Lt. Gregg Hastings is with the Oregon State Police.  He says not only were highway fatalities down this year, but so were arrests for driving under the influence.

Lt. Gregg Hastings: “Our DUI arrests have slightly gone down over the years and we hope that that’s an indication of people getting the message and taking it to heart.”

Hastings says there were 53 DUI arrests statewide over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, with 14 of those related to the Civil War football game in Corvallis.

The Thanksgiving weekend is typically the fourth deadliest holiday period each year on Oregon highways. 

There has not been a fatality-free Thanksgiving weekend on state highways since the state began compiling the statistics.