State Police step up patrols Labor Day weekend

LANSING.   The Michigan State Police (MSP) will be dedicating traffic patrols during the Labor Day holiday weekend starting 6 p.m. on Friday, August 31, 2012, as part of the nationwide safety initiative, Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) that seeks to improve traffic safety during heavily traveled holidays.

“Labor Day weekend is traditionally one of the most traveled weekends of the summer and we are reminding motorists to drive in a safe and responsible manner,” said Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the MSP.”  Troopers will be aggressively looking for drunk drivers, safety belt violations as well as any other unsafe driving practice that my occur on Michigan’s roadways during this Labor Day weekend.”

The official Labor Day holiday weekend begins at 6 p.m., Friday, August 31, 2012, and runs through midnight, Monday, September 3, 2012.  Last year there were 11 fatal traffic crashes, which resulted in 12 deaths over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Operation C.A.R.E. began in 1977 as a collaborative effort between the MSP and Indiana State Police, and is one of the nation’s longest-running traffic safety initiatives.  Today, it includes state police and highway patrol agencies from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Quebec Police Force and the Virgin Islands.