MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memorial Day is just around the corner, meaning millions of people are expected to travel this holiday weekend.
According to AAA, they are predicting record numbers.
A Shelby County task force is finding ways to protect drivers. The Shelby County Traffic Task Force, who only met once since February, started a project this year. They found success with reducing crashes and fatalities in the county.
Memphis Police Assistant Chief Don Crowe said what they have discovered can be used to save lives from future incidents.
"At these monthly meetings, we actually review every fatality that has occurred in Shelby County," he said. "We look for patterns, we look for areas that need increased presence or increased enforcement."
Crowe said the task force will have plenty of police presence this holiday weekend. According to a report by the task force, they have seen a 30% decrease in traffic fatalities this year compared to the same time last year in May 2023.
According to AAA, they are expecting a record high of 38.4 million people traveling by car.
Reginald Falkner, a Memphis resident said many drivers on the road can become concerning.
"It's kind of frightening because we've been noticing a lot of road rage, we've been noticing a lot of younger people just doing doughnuts and dangerous things," Falkner said.
Falkner said although he doesn't have holiday plans, he still has to come out of pocket during this time of the year.
"It seems like every time there's a holiday, the prices go up," Falkner said.
AAA reported gas prices in Tennessee are 39 cents lower than the national average.