You’ll see extra Missouri state troopers on the road again Friday, as more travelers head to their Christmas destinations.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says five people were killed and another 314 were injured in Missouri during the 2016 Christmas holiday.
Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz urges you to slow down and to wear your seat belt.
“So we want to encourage everybody to again pay attention,” Hotz says. “Inattention continues to be such a huge factor in the number of crashes that we see.”
The 2017 Christmas holiday fatality counting period begins Friday night at 6 and ends at 11:59 on Christmas night, which is Monday.
The Patrol says there were 885 traffic crashes during the 2016 Christmas holiday counting period.
Captain Hotz says one person was killed or injured every 14 minutes in Missouri during the 2016 holiday.
“That’s obviously way too high of a number and we would love to see this Christmas holiday period go through without having anybody killed over this timeframe,” says Hotz.
Hotz is also reminding motorists to follow Missouri’s “Move Over Law”, which involves stationary emergency vehicles.
“And that can be a trooper, it can a sheriff’s deputy, a police officer, towing company, Missouri Department of Transportation, you know, fire, EMS, any of those vehicles,” Hotz says.
Hotz tells Missourinet the law requires you to move over one lane, if you see a stationary emergency vehicle on the shoulder.
If you can’t move over, Hotz says you must reduce your speed and use caution.
Hotz also encourages you to check your vehicle and the weather forecast, before you travel.
Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz, which was recorded on December 21, 2017:
