Memorial Day Weekend Brings Important Driving Safety Reminders

The Memorial Day holiday weekend is underway for some and will be underway for everyone else in the coming days.  Sargent Jesse Grabow from the Minnesota State Patrol joined me on WJON to highlight some key safety reminders.

Impaired Driving

Grabow says on holiday weekends State Troopers see an increase in the amount of impaired drivers on the roads.  He says there will be extra enforcement looking for impaired drivers and for those drivers choosing to not wear a seatbelt.  Grabow says the goal is never the amount of tickets that they write but rather the prevention of these behaviors.  He says there has never been a quota, when it comes to citing violations, but rather the goal of keeping all drivers safe.

Distracted Driving

Another problem on Minnesota roads are distracted drivers.  Grabow says they are just coming off the month of April where distracted driving enforcement was a focus.  He says they cited numerous drivers holding their phones, scrolling social media and even watching a movie while driving.  Grabow says distracted driving is an ongoing problem in the state.

Road Construction

Road construction and heavy traffic can be another challenge in Minnesota on Memorial Day weekend.  Grabow suggests obeying the signs and to zipper merge if a lane is eliminated due to road construction.  He would like to see everyone slow down in work zones and be patient when encountering heavy traffic.

Summer Accidents

The time period between Memorial weekend and Labor Day weekend is approximately 100 days.  Grabow says that is the time period that we see the majority of the serious and fatal crashes in the state.  He says there are more motorcycles on the road in the summer and speeding tends to increase.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Sargent Jesse Grabow, click below.