JACKSON, MISS–The Mississippi Highway Patrol will kick off the 2016 Christmas Travel Enforcement Period with a safety awareness initiative on US Highway 49. “Coast to the Capital” will be conducted on Friday, December 23rd, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with state troopers placing emphasis on heavily traveled US Highway 49 from the MS gulf coast to the capital city.
This high visibility safety initiative is designed to ensure safe holiday travel for motorists and combat reckless driving along with speeding and distracted driving issues. With the anticipation of heavy holiday traffic, all available manpower will also be utilized on all state, federal, and interstate systems throughout the official MHP 2016 Christmas Travel Enforcement Period which begins Friday, December 23rd at 6 p.m. and will conclude Monday, December 26th at midnight.
MHP investigated 250 crashes including 5 fatalities during the 2015 Christmas enforcement period. Safety checkpoints will be conducted by troopers in order to enforce child restraint and seatbelt laws while also removing impaired drivers.
Motorists are urged to begin preparing to travel on the roadways to allow sufficient travel time and include safe driving as part of their plans.
