The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be out in force beginning Friday night for the long Memorial Day holiday.
This year’s Memorial Day holiday counting period begins at 6 p.m., Friday, May 23, and ends at 11:59 p.m., Monday, May 26. 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 violations and impaired drivers. The patrol will participate in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness Reduction Effort) during Memorial Day weekend.
Over the 2024 Memorial Day holiday weekend, there were 1,046 vehicle crashes statewide that injured 486 people and killed 10 (Troopers worked 275 traffic crashes involving seven fatalities and 161 injuries). The Memorial Day weekend is also an unofficial start to the boating season. During the 2024 Memorial Day weekend, there were seven boating crashes which included no fatalities and seven injuries. No one drowned over last year’s Memorial Day weekend. Last year, troopers made 128 driving while intoxicated and six boating while intoxicated arrests.
The patrol offers these tips:
- Always be courteous and pay attention whether you’re operating a vehicle or a vessel and choose to be a sober driver on land and on the water. A safe, fun weekend is the result of planning and making good decisions.
- 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 MoDOT website to view their traveler map, download the MoDOT app or call 888-275-6636.
- Motorists are encouraged to do their part to make Missouri’s roadways safer. Speed, inattention and impaired driving are leading causes of traffic crashes. Please obey all traffic laws and make sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint.