Few of us prefer to work on holidays, and that’s especially true on holidays such as Labor Day, the unofficial end of the summer vacation season and a day to honor American workers.

But we’re awfully glad that at least two groups of workers were on duty that day — our law enforcement officers and first responders. In fact, they may have worked harder during the Labor Day weekend than on other non-holiday days.

That’s because when we’re off from work on a holiday there are typically many more of us on the road traveling hither and yon — and often not being as cautious as we should be.

Between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2, Mississippi Highway Patrol troopers investigated 15 traffic fatalities, 155 crashes resulting in 81 injuries, arrested 122 people for driving under the influence and issued 740 citations for seat belt and child restraint violations. A total of 7,123 citations were issued during this year’s holiday enforcement period.

The 15 fatalities were the result of seven crashes in Grenada, Warren, Stone, Wilkinson, Prentiss and Issaquena counties.

In 2023, the state law enforcement agency saw 147 crashes resulting in four fatalities, 141 DUI arrests and 698 citations for child restraint or seat belt violations.

But now it’s once again up to us drivers. In announcing the holiday enforcement campaign, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell encouraged Mississippians to make smart choices behind the wheel.

“As Labor Day marks the “unofficial end of summer,” the Mississippi Highway Patrol and law enforcement across the state will be working diligently to ensure the safety of you, your family, and your friends across Mississippi! Remember to be responsible and drive safely,” he said.

As dedicated and diligent as the highway patrol and all of our local, state and federal law enforcement officers are, it is our decisions to drive safely, responsibly and sometimes not driving at all, that play the biggest role in reaching our destinations without accident.

As we move deeper into the fall with football and other seasonal activities, roadway traffic is not likely to let up anytime soon — making it more important that each of us continues with the basics of driving: wearing a seatbelt, putting down the phone and other distractions and driving sober.

As the agency’s campaign showed us all, these are simple rules of the road — and those we can all live with.

CMG News Wire