Missouri state troopers will be visible on highways Tuesday and Wednesday for both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day traffic enforcement.
A Missouri state trooper on-duty in 2019 (file photo courtesy of Missouri State Highway Patrol)
Missouri State Highway Patrol Lieutenant Collin Stosberg describes impaired driving as the most preventable crime there is.
“We have a zero tolerance so we’ll have troopers and our other law enforcement partners out there arresting those impaired drivers, to make sure that everyone gets to their destination safely,” Stosberg says.
This year’s 30-hour New Year’s holiday counting period begins tonight at 6 and runs through 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Day. During last year’s 102-hour holiday counting period, 11 Missouri motorists were killed and another 447 suffered injuries in 1,301 traffic crashes.
“We’ll have troopers working all over, especially those areas that are known for a high number of impaired driving crashes and incidents,” says Stosberg.
This year’s counting period is 30-hours, because New Year’s Day is a Wednesday.
Lt. Stosberg encourages anyone who drinks alcohol to use a designated driver or to use a taxi or ride share service.
Troopers are also assisting motorists who run out of gas or need assistance for things like a flat tire. Anyone who faces a traffic emergency should call *55 on their cell phone.
Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri State Highway Patrol Lieutenant Collin Stosberg, which was recorded on December 27, 2019:
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