Reported by Angela An

The Ohio State Highway Patrol will be watching travelers closely over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Based on the past five Thanksgiving holiday weekends, the Highway Patrol now has a predictive model of when and why most crashes occur.

On the day before Thanksgiving, not only do collisions happen mostly between 4pm and 6 pm, but crashes involving speed also start going up after 7pm. The number of alcohol-related crashes peak between 9pm Wednesday and 2am Thanksgiving morning.

Traveling this thanksgiving holiday weekend?  You are not alone!

"This holiday is one of the busiest times of the year for traffic volume," Ohio State Highway Patrol Lieutenant Tony Bradshaw explained.

Some of the hot spots include the northern leg of the I-270 outerbelt, and US Route 23 as you travel north from Franklin into Delaware County.

Ohio roads were so busy last Thanksgiving, 12 people died during the four-day holiday weekend. That's why the Highway Patrol is hoping travelers will visit its website.
One page shows which Central Ohio roads are typically the most dangerous over Thanksgiving weekend.

Among the riskiest roads:
I-270 between Route 161 and Westerville Road
Interstate 71 from Washington Court House north to Delaware,
US Route 23 north of I-270
State Route 161 from Dublin east to New Albany
Broad St from the Madison County to Licking County.
US Route 33 south from Canal Winchester to Lancaster
US Route 23 from I-270 south to Ross County
State Route 37 from Newark south to Lancaster

The State Highway Patrol says drivers armed with this information can then find alternate routes, easing traffic in troubled spots and potentially saving lives. And alive.

"So, people just need to be aware. Take your time to get to where you are going," Lt. Bradshaw advised.

More than a third of last year's deadly traffic accidents in Ohio were alcohol related. The Highway Patrol plans to conduct several low manpower checkpoints. The Columbus Police traffic division will be working double duty to catch drunk drivers this long holiday weekend.