Patrol urges caution for Memorial Day weekend

The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be out in force during the Memorial Day holiday, it said.

This year’s Memorial Day holiday counting period begins at 6 p.m., Friday, May 24, and ends at 11:59 p.m., Monday, May 27. Every available trooper will be on the road or on the water, enforcing Missouri laws and assisting people.

Troopers on roadways will focus their attention on hazardous moving violations, speed violation and impaired drivers. The patrol will participate in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness Reduction Effort) during Memorial Day weekend.
Over the 2023 Memorial Day holiday weekend, 13 people died and 403 were injured in 990 traffic crashes across the state. (Troopers worked 287 traffic crashes involving 12 fatalities and 117 injuries.)

The Memorial Day weekend is also an unofficial start to the boating season. During the 2023 Memorial Day weekend, there were 10 boating crashes which included no fatalities and two injuries. No one drowned over last year’s Memorial Day weekend. Last year, troopers made 137 driving while intoxicated and eight boating while intoxicated arrests.

Motorists or boaters in need of assistance or who want to report a crime should use the Highway Patrol’s Emergency Assistance number 800-525-5555 (or *55 on a cellular phone). For road condition reports, travelers can visit the patrol’s website at https://statepatrol.dps.mo.gov . Click on the “Road Condition” icon to view road construction areas as well as road conditions throughout the state or call 888-275-6636.

The patrol said motorists are encouraged to do their part to make Missouri’s roadways safer. Speed, inattention and impaired driving are leading causes of traffic crashes. It encourages obeying traffic laws and make sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint.
It said boaters should be courteous to others enjoying Missouri’s lakes and rivers, wear a life jacket and obey the law regarding safe operation of a vessel: Always observe no wake zones. Causing harm to another person or their property with an excessive boat wake may subject violators to enforcement action or civil liability.
Other tips: When traveling up Missouri’s rivers in a jet boat, turn off the motor for a second and listen before navigating around that bend. River bends create blind spots. Listening for boats coming down the river allows time to give way. Also, jet boats should stay closer to the center of the river to give floaters room.
When operating a power-driven vessel, it’s important to understand the rules of navigation.

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