The Thanksgiving long weekend is upon us and that means travelling to visit friends and family.

RCMP Staff Sergeant Robin Alexander in High River says they do typically see more people on the roads during long weekends.

"We typically do see an increase in traffic, particularly on our highways on a long weekend, regardless of the weather, good or bad," he says. "We want people to pay attention to their driving as quite simply, you're thinking about where you're going, you're maybe in a hurry to get there, make sure you get there in one piece."

Staff Sergeant Alexander says it's important to follow at a safe distance, don't speed, don't drink and drive and stay off the phone.

"Once you get into a collision on the highway it's typically a very serious matter," the Staff Sergeant says.

During the Thanksgiving weekend last year, there were 619 traffic collisions in Alberta which led to 73 people being injured and four deaths.