It was a busy weekend for the men and women of the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
On top of over 2,500 citations issued, the MHP reported one fatal crash from its annual Christmas enforcement period.
“Our mission is to keep people from being involved in fatal crashes. We had one over the weekend during the Christmas holidays down in Covington County,” Captain Chris Turnipseed said. “It was an unrestrained car crash. The occupant was not wearing a seatbelt.”
The enforcement period, which lasted from Saturday morning until Monday at midnight, resulted in a total of 2,544 citations, including:
- Seatbelt and Child Restraint – 270
- DUIs – 78
- Crashes – 144
- Fatal Crashes – 1
- Fatalities – 1
- Motorist Assist – 54
And while the Christmas enforcement period might be over, Turnipseed and the rest of the MPH are preparing to kick off their annual New Year’s enforcement period. That will last from December 30 at 6 a.m. until January 1 at midnight.
“We just ask folks to do some simple things,” Turnipseed said. “Wearing seatbelts, restraining kids, slowing down, obeying the speed limit, not driving impaired, and then one of the big pet peeves is just those cell phones. Make sure you’re looking at the road while you’re driving.”
