Extra enforcement, patrol over holiday weekend

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is adding extra troopers to patrol the highways this weekend ahead of the Memorial Day holiday.

Trooper Gary Gundy has been with the Highway Patrol for more than 20 years. He said he recommends drivers give themselves a three-second space between their car and the vehicle in front of them. He said his years with the patrol caused him to believe many crashes could have been avoided if drivers followed this rule.

Gundy also said because of the holiday weekend, there may be more drivers on the road who have been drinking.

“Be aware that the guy that is coming at you may have had a drink or two and you need to be on your toes and expect the unexpected,” Gundy said.

Distracted driving is an issue year-round but with more cars on the road for holiday weekends, drivers should drive defensively to make up for others who may not be paying attention.

“The more attention you pay to your driving the safer you’ll be,” Gundy said.

Because of the extra vehicles on the highway, Gundy said speeding typically isn’t a problem because there are so many cars. He said some drivers will get frustrated with the extra traffic and start driving a little more dangerously.

“There’s a lot of frustration involved when they’re going down the highway because there is so much traffic,” Gundy said. “So people take risks in passing and do things that are dangerous. They’ll pass on the shoulder sometimes because both lanes are full ahead of them and they’re in a hurry.”

Gundy suggested if you see another driver acting recklessly, call the highway patrol at asterisk-5-5.

“You let us know what’s going on,” Gundy said. “Someone’s weaving, you think someone is drunk or someone is driving carelessly, give us a call. If we can get a trooper over there we will.”

Gundy said his No. 1 tip for drivers, whether you are heading out of town for the weekend or not, is to check your spare tire. He said oftentimes that tire will sit for years, slowly losing air pressure and when a driver needs it, it’s not usable.