Highway Patrol steps up enforcement for holiday weekend

If you’re traveling for the Memorial holiday, the Missouri Highway Patrol wants you to know its stepping up patrol. Extra troopers will be out catching speeders and enforcing traffic laws as part of a holiday safety campaign.

The safety campaign is called “Combined Accident Reduction Effort.” The Highway Patrol will have a trooper stationed every 20 miles on I-70 from mile marker 87 to 186. It’s in an effort to reduce traffic crashes over the holiday weekend. Last Memorial Day weekend, Missouri highways and interstates saw 295 crashes, 130 injuries and 8 deaths.

The increased enforcement begins Friday at 6 p.m. and lasts until midnight on Monday. Highway Patrol encourages drivers to play it safe on the roads this weekend: use a designated driver and wear a seat belt.