By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer travel season and as drivers head out the Missouri Highway Patrol wants them to be prepared.
Seargent Shane Hux with Troop H says with more drivers out on the roads to celebrate the holiday, it’s vitally important to plan ahead
“Make sure that you’re Memorial Day weekend is successful, so when you’re out there on the roadway obey the traffic laws, devote 100% of your attention to driving, and if your Memorial Day weekend plans do include alcohol, plan ahead and make sure you have a sober driver,” Hux tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
As the weather becomes warmer, boats will also be hitting the water this Memorial Day weekend.
Hux says with more people heading to the lake.
“There’s going to be pickups out there pulling boats, so they may not be able to travel the speed limit, they may be traveling less than that, they’re going to be slow moving,” Hux explains. “And it’s important for the boat operators to obey all the boating laws when they’re out there on the water, and we always encourage that everybody wear a life jacket when they’re on or even near the water.”
Hux reminds boaters that any passenger less than seven years old is required to wear a life jacket if out on the water this Memorial Day.
During the summer months, there are also several road construction projects happening across the state.
Hux says to plan ahead for construction that could slow down traffic on the roads
“Especially when there’s a lot more traffic out there like there’s going to be during the Memorial Day weekend,” Hux points out. “That traffic can back up rather quickly, and a lot of the times what we see is secondary crashes. even if there is a traffic crash that has the travel lanes reduced down to one lane, we see a lot of secondary crashes just because people are not paying attention and driving too fast.”
The Missouri Highway Patrol will be out in force starting Friday and running through Monday night.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.