Highway patrol steps up enforcement for holiday weekend

THe Missouri State Highway Patrol is stepping up its enforcement. Troopers are bracing for a busy holiday weekend on state roadways. As part of the enforcement, a trooper will be stationed every 20 miles to enforce traffic laws.

“A presence out here for people to see is a deterrent, and we hope to be a deterrent, just to slow people down, so that they’re practicing safe driving,” said Cpl. Matt Halford with Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The troopers on the ground are also getting help from above. Authorities have plane patrolling the roadways. With a little help from some math and painted bars on the highway, the pilot can determine if a vehicle is speeding or breaking other traffic laws.

“He calls out to us violations, at which point, takes us through the process of getting the correct vehicle – making sure that the correct vehicle, is the one that we pull over,” said Halford.

The extra enforcement is part of the highway patrol accident reduction program. Last year during the same four day period nearly five people were hurt every hour on Missouri roads. There were 1,151 crashes, 469 injuries and 18 fatalities.

“We want everyone to get there safely as well. Part of that is maintaining the speed, maintaining good driving practices, that you’re not following too close, that you’re not on electronic devices, that your attention, as a driver, is on the roadway,” said Halford.

The accident reduction effort lasts from Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday at 11:59 p.m.