WATERBURY — Thanksgiving Day snow and holiday traffic sparked more that 550 accidents and 1,300 speeding tickets on Connecticut roadways over the holiday weekend.

Thanksgiving weekend traditionally marks one of the heaviest travel periods of the year, with the highest volume on Wednesday afternoon, all day Friday, and Sunday afternoon and evening. This year's holiday weekend saw an increase of approximately 80 accidents and more than 200 citations over last year, police said.

"It was much busier this year," said State Police spokesman Sgt. J. Paul Vance. "Certainly the weather was a mix into the whole equation of Thanksgiving Day."

Vance said traffic was heavy throughout the state on Saturday and Sunday, most likely because the Thanksgiving Day snowstorm caused people to stay home and postpone travel plans.

State Police reported 1,321 speeding violations between Wednesday and Sunday and issued 214 seatbelt citations. Fifty-four people were charged with driving while intoxicated, one fewer than last year, the police said.

There were 559 accidents, including 98 with injuries, and two fatalities. Last year, police reported 483 accidents and two fatalities.

The deaths occurred early Wednesday morning on Interstate 95 in Milford and Sunday night on Route 2 in Preston. There was also a multiple-car pileup Thanksgiving morning on Interstate 84 in Newtown.

But only minor accidents occurred in the Greater Waterbury Area, Vance said.

In the city of Waterbury, there were 61 accidents and 93 drivers were stopped, 73 receiving verbal warnings and 20 receiving tickets, the police said. There were no DWI arrests.

These numbers were lower than average for a holiday weekend, according to Waterbury police spokesman Sgt. Christopher Corbett. "The number of accidents is low, considering the weather and considering it was a holiday travel weekend," he said.

In preparation for the holiday weekend, State Police implemented Operation CARE — Combined Accident Reduction Effort — on all state roads. Troopers patrolled in both marked and unmarked cars and used aircraft, radar and laser units to monitor traffic. Sobriety checkpoints and drunk-driving patrols were also in place throughout the weekend.

"It's an attempt to utilize all the manpower we have, be as visible as possible," said Vance, the state police spokesman.

Vance said the enhanced enforcement made a difference, leading to more arrests and preventing more accidents than in past years. Increased enforcement will remain throughout the holiday season

"The fact that we put this Operation CARE into effect and had additional manpower and equipment definitely had an impact," he said.