For further information please contact: Capt. J. “Tim” Hull
Q8074 (573) 526-6115
August 21, 2007
EMPHASIS: Labor Day Holiday

Labor Day weekend is fast approaching. Many families will plan one last special outing to mark the end of summer. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reminds motorists to expect a change in traffic patterns during the Labor Day weekend.

To help ensure everyone's safety, offer assistance, and enforce Missouri's traffic laws, the Highway Patrol will schedule every available officer to patrol the roadways. The Labor Day counting period will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 31, and end at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 3, 2007. The Patrol, along with local law enforcement, will participate in Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort), which will coincide with the You Drink, You Drive, You Lose campaign.

If alcohol is part of your Labor Day holiday celebration, don’t drink and drive. Getting arrested could be the least of your concerns. There are court costs, medical bills, or perhaps jail time. If you kill or injure someone, you’ll pay a price for the rest of your life.
If you choose to drink this Labor Day holiday, choose a designated driver.

"The Patrol asks everyone to help make this holiday weekend a safe one,” said Colonel James F. Keathley, superintendent of the Patrol. "I urge drivers to obey Missouri’s traffic laws, and watch for changes in traffic patterns due to the number of travelers or road construction. Everyone in the vehicle should buckle up. The Patrol, along with other state and local law enforcement agencies, has worked diligently to decrease traffic fatalities in Missouri through educational and enforcement programs. Thus far, the 2007 fatality totals are at a 13 percent decrease when comparing the totals to the same time period in 2006.”

Last year, 18 people were killed and 502 persons were injured in 1,108 traffic crashes occurring during the Labor Day holiday counting period. That is one person killed or injured every nine minutes. Over the past five years (2002-2006), 73 persons were killed and 2,822 were injured in Labor Day holiday crashes.


Travelers needing assistance, or reporting a drunk or careless driver, illegal activity on the highways, or a stalled motorist can call the Patrol's Emergency Hotline at 1-800-525-5555 or, on a cellular phone, dial *55. To receive the latest road conditions for major Missouri highways, motorists may call the Patrol's Road Condition Hotline at 1-800-222-6400 or (573) 526-8828.
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