State Police Increase their Patrols for Holiday Weekend

The Connecticut State Police have increased their patrols for the holiday weekend to include the following highways in central Connecticut:

Fri., July 1     I-91/I-691                                                            

Sat., July 2    Route 15/I-691

Sun. July 3     I-91/I-691

Mon. July 4   Route 8

Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) will be in effect starting July 1 and running until midnight July 4 according to a statement from the state police.

Last year there were five fatalities during the July 4th holiday. State police also issued the following number of summons in 2010:

2249 for speeding 

59 for DUI 

427 seatbelt arrests

State Police also investigated 277 motor vehicle crashes during July 4, 2010.

“Connecticut drivers can help state troopers keep our highways safe by setting an example, drive the speed limit, don’t drink alcohol and drive, and immediately report a suspected drunk drivers to police as this is a true emergency,” Colonel Danny Stebbins, Commander of the Connecticut State Police, wrote in the statement. 

Connecticut State Troopers will hold sobriety checkpoints in numerous locations in Connecticut. Sites will be chosen where troopers experience a high number of alcohol-involved crashes. State troopers will use aircraft and speed measuring devices (LASER) to monitor speeds. Troopers will be strategically placed with a concentrated effort to reduce speeds on the highways during the holiday period.

 “Wear your seatbelt, a seatbelt can save your life and also remember that courtesy on the highway, can be contagious, set the example drive with courtesy,” wrote Emergency Services & Public Protection Commissioner Reuben Bradford.