Drive safely during holiday

Published 10:10 am Thursday, September 1, 2016

The Mississippi Highway Patrol is hoping this Labor Day holiday is a safe one. We can all do our part to ensure it is.

MHP’s traffic safety campaign starts at 6 p.m. Friday and runs through midnight Monday. MHP will have a large number of officers in concentrated areas to look for reckless and distracted drivers, MHP Capt. Johnny Poulos said.

Troopers also will have safety checkpoints, stopping cars to check for seat belts and impaired drivers, The Associated Press reported.

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Four people were killed on Mississippi’s roadways during the Labor Day weekend last year. Getting that number to zero is the goal of MHP and law enforcement agencies across the state.

To make that happen, motorists will have to not only drive safely, but legally as well. Those who plan to drink over the holiday should have a designated driver.

Those who plan to text while driving shouldn’t. Distracted driving is just as dangerous as drunken driving.

“We’re hoping all motorists and families will enjoy the last holiday weekend of the summer and arrive at their destinations safely,” Poulos said.

That is everyone’s goal and it will take everyone paying attention and following the law for that to happen.