The Casper Police Department is urging the community to keep safety as a priority over Memorial Day weekend.
Nearly 38 million Americans plan on traveling by car this Memorial Day weekend, an increase of 3.6 percent.
As of today, 24 May 2019, there have been 64 fatalities on Wyoming highways. On this date in 2018, there were 36. That’s nearly double.
We can and need to do better.
Colonel Haller with the Wyoming Highway Patrol offers the following safety tips.
“Don’t drive impaired, don’t drive distracted, put down your electronic devices, buckle up and slow down. All fatalities are preventable,” COL Haller goes on to say. “All fatalities are the direct result of poor driving decisions.”
Wyoming is seeing a significant number of vehicle fatalities resulting from drivers and passengers not wearing seatbelts. These deaths are one-hundred percent preventable. Click it, or Ticket.
During Memorial Day weekend 2018 in Natrona County, we had nine vehicle crashes, four of which resulted in injuries.
The Casper Police Department would also like to encourage the community to take measures to avoid driving while impaired this weekend.
“Think ahead and make a plan before drinking alcohol. Ask yourself, ‘How am I getting to where I’m going and how am I getting home?’ before you leave the house,” said Rebekah Ladd, Public Information Officer for the Casper Police Department. “If you’re staying home, think ahead to avoid having to leave once you start drinking.”
The Casper Police Department will be taking active measures to enforce and encourage safe driving over the holiday weekend. We are dedicated to the well-being of each of our community members. Please partner with us by encouraging your friends and family to have a safe Memorial Day weekend.