MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Troop D Headquarters, 3131 East Kearney, Springfield, Missouri 65803


News Release

For further information please contact: Corporal John H. Lueckenhoff
417-359-1500, Ext. 4560
DS11232015
November 23, 2015

EMPHASIS: Troop D Holiday Enforcement Emphasis During Thansgiving Holiday

Captain Juan Villanueva, commanding officer of Troop D, Springfield, announces that troopers assigned to Troop D will participate in enforcement operations throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Beginning Wednesday, November 25, and concluding on Sunday, November 29, troopers in Troop D and throughout the state will participate Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort). Troop D will also participate in the statewide special enforcement operation during the peak travel periods on Wednesday, November 25, and Sunday, November 29. During this operation, Troop D troopers will be assigned to 20-mile stretches of Interstate 44, maximizing visibility. Enforcement efforts on secondary roads within Troop D will be conducted during the same timeframe. Troopers will be vigorously targeting all traffic violations and assisting motorists in need.

So far in 2015, Troop D, which includes 18 counties in Southwest Missouri, has experienced an alarming increase in traffic fatalities of 41 percent over the same timeframe in 2014. This number represents 44 additional lives lost. Those 44 people are not able to share the upcoming holidays with their family and friends. Common contributing circumstances in traffic crashes are speed, inattention, and driving while impaired, all of which include poor choices behind the wheel. As the holiday season approaches, motorists can expect increased traffic on our roadways and a greater risk of being involved in a traffic crash. It is important to make safety a priority, pay attention to your driving behavior, and put an end to all traffic crashes on Missouri’s roadways.

Approximately 63 percent of Missouri fatal crash victims who are required to be restrained are NOT at the time of the traffic crash. The Patrol urges motorists to protect themselves and their passengers by making sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint. Join us in supporting the Drive To Zero Highway Deaths. Watercraft operators should ensure that everyone in the vessel is wearing an approved life jacket. Click It 4 Life And Wear It!!
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