It’s time to celebrate the last big holiday weekend of the summer. The extended Labor Day weekend is finally here. Thousands across the region, and millions across the nation, will be traveling this weekend.
Traffic will be congested, and motorists should take extra precautions.
Please buckle up, avoid distractions and pay close attention to the road. No one who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs should be on the road this weekend — or any other weekend. Law enforcement officials across the region will be out and about with extra patrols looking for impaired drivers.
A series of simultaneous border-to-border checkpoints were launched Thursday by law enforcement agencies across southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia. The officers will be looking for impaired drivers, speeders and other violators as they try to keep area roadways safe this holiday weekend.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is joining the Virginia State Police in reminding motorists to buckle up, to drive alcohol and drug free, to obey speed limits, and to pay close attention in work zones this holiday weekend. Motorists also are reminded that a new Virginia law now prohibits driving while sending a text or an e-mail. Exceptions are made for emergency vehicle operators, drivers reporting an emergency or a driver who is parked.
A series of grant-funded enforcement efforts, including “Operation Air, Land and Speed,” “Click It or Ticket” and “Checkpoint Strikeforce,” have helped contribute to a recent decrease in traffic deaths in Virginia, according to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.
As of July 31, preliminary data in Virginia indicates there were 13.8 percent fewer traffic fatalities in the Commonwealth in comparison to the same time period a year ago. It is our hope that these tragic numbers will continue to decline in both Virginia and West Virginia.
We join law enforcement officials across West Virginia and Virginia in urging motorists to buckle up, obey the speed limit, pay attention to the roadway and to drive drug-and-alcohol free this holiday weekend. And if you have to send a text message or e-mail, please do so before you get behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t text and drive. Don’t get distracted talking on the cell phone while trying to drive.
These good common sense measures can help to ensure a safe and happy holiday weekend for everyone.
While it may mark the symbolic end of summer, the extended Labor Day weekend is still one of the most heavily traveled holiday weekends of the year.
Take it easy. Obey the speed limit, and drive safely.
