Texas Governor Greg Abbott has urged drivers to remain vigilant during Thanksgiving travel to ensure safety on the roads.

On Tuesday, the governor wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “When you’re traveling to visit loved ones this Thanksgiving, remain vigilant on the road. Eliminate distractions and arrive at your destination safely.”

Abbott’s message included a repost of a Monday safety notice from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), which highlighted the dangers of distracted driving as a record 71 million Americans are set to travel for the holiday, the American Automobile Association (AAA) reported.

In its X post, the Texas DPS wrote: “Distracted driving is dangerous and preventable. This holiday season, keep your focus on the road. Check out today’s video for tips on how to minimize distractions and arrive safely.”

A video accompanying the DPS post featured Sergeant Bryan Washko who gave drivers a series of safety tips.

“Distracted driving is dangerous for you and everyone else on the road. Put your phone away, silence notifications, and store your phone out of reach while driving,” he said.

Washko added: “Limit in car distractions. Avoid activities that take your focus off the roads, such as eating, changing music, or reaching for items. Engage passengers. If you’re traveling with others, ask a passenger to help with tasks like navigation or phone calls. Taking these simple steps will help everyone have a safe and happy holiday season. From everyone here at DPS, happy holidays.”

Newsweek has contacted the DPS via email for comment.

DPS has announced an increased traffic enforcement effort from Wednesday through Sunday to prioritize road safety during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Texas Highway Patrol will focus on violations such as driving while intoxicated, speeding, failing to wear seat belts, and ignoring the “Move Over, Slow Down” law, which protects emergency responders and others stopped on the side of the road.

“With Thanksgiving around the corner, we remind everyone to stay vigilant on the roads. There can be countless distractions this time of year, but your safety and the safety of others is what matters most,” DPS Director Steven McCraw stated in a Monday press release.

During last year’s Thanksgiving enforcement effort, DPS issued 41,093 warnings and citations, including 11,525 for speeding, 1,310 for driving without insurance, and 596 for seat belt violations.

Safety tips provided by DPS include eliminating distractions, buckling up, avoiding impaired driving, slowing down in poor conditions, and reporting hazards to law enforcement.

Drivers are also encouraged to monitor weather and road conditions online to plan their travel routes.

There might not be two rosters in America that are more familiar with one another than that of the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies.

Between the two programs, there are 161 players from the state of Texas – the vast majority of whom played against at least one or multiple players on the other side in high school previously.

And as if that didn’t make the competition fierce enough, the Longhorns and Aggies will be facing off for the first time in 13 years this Saturday, with each of those players hoping to leave their mark on the rivalry.

That includes Aggies star linebacker Taurean York, who holds a personal vendetta against the Longhorns and cannot wait to see them on the field.

“I wanted the A&M offer,” York said Monday. “(Texas) stayed 50 minutes away from me. They came on a helicopter to see my best friend. … They weren’t paying me much attention. I didn’t invest too much in those guys anyways.”

York signed with Texas A&M as a three-star recruit out of Temple (TX), originally committing to Baylor before the Aggies offered late in the process.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns didn’t even extend the now-Aggies captain an offer, instead choosing to sign five other linebackers: five-star Anthony Hill, four-stars Derion Gullette, Leona Leafua, and Tasuli Akana, and three-star S’Maje Burrell.

And as York said over the summer, he took that personally.

“It’s personal, that’s all I have to say, it’s personal,” York said at SEC Media Days. “I don’t talk to anybody from Texas because it’s that personal to me. They didn’t recruit me and there are a lot of comparisons going on about me and Texas players. So I kinda put those rest in a sense.”

To be fair, the Longhorns hardly made a bad choice in the players they signed. Hill is arguably the best linebacker in the SEC, while Lefau is a key contributor and rising star on the defense. Not to mention, the Longhorns have high hopes for Akana and Gullette in the future.

In fact, only Burrell proved to be a bad investment by the Horns, after he was involved in an offseason drunk driving incident with former Longhorn T’Vondre Sweat, and was dismissed from the team.

Either way, York will now finally get his chance to face Texas on the field and prove why he believes they did make a mistake by not recruiting him during the 2023 cycle.

Kick off is set for 6:30 pm CT on ABC, with York hoping the Longhorns continue their trend of receiving the opening kick.

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