DUI blitz this Labor Day Weekend
Aug 30, 2024, 10:59 AM | Updated: 12:55 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Labor Day Weekend kicks off Friday, with many already on the road or getting ready to head out.
Utah Highway Patrol will be making their rounds and keeping a close tab on the road throughout the holiday weekend to make sure drivers are doing what they are supposed to be doing.
AAA said from noon to 6 p.m. Friday will come in as some of the busiest times on the road over the holiday weekend.
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A DUI blitz will also be getting underway, as law enforcement cracks down on unsafe driving and the importance of having a plan in place for a safe ride home.
While it may be the unofficial end of summer, a long weekend is a welcome sight.
AAA said you can expect to hit traffic:
“End of Friday, beginning Saturday stretch; that’s gonna be really, really packed on the roads,” Julian Parades, AAA spokesperson, said.
UDOT said some of the areas they are keeping a close eye on include northbound Interstate 15 in Davis County, Salt Lake County southbound, and all the big adventures happening in Southern Utah and beyond.
“Where we really see some backups on Friday are people are making their way down to St. George and Las Vegas. Nephi, we could see up to 15-20 minutes of additional delay southbound in Nephi,” John Gleason, UDOT public relations director, said.
While UDOT crews take a break for the long holiday weekend, there will still be lane restrictions and splits.
“Even if you don’t see the workers out there, we’re going to try to keep traffic flowing as much as possible. But, you still have to slow down in those construction zones,” Gleason said.
Speaking of slowing down: Troopers are not only focusing on speeders, but any kind of impaired driving that could cause a crash.
This includes UHP and the Department of Public Safety who are urging everyone to plan for a safe and sober ride home.
“Distracted driving, aggressive driving. We’ve seen a significant increase specifically in single-vehicle crashes,” Lt. Chamberlin Neff with Utah Highway Patrol said.
Just in July alone, Lt. Neff said there were 49 deaths on the highway. Of those, 29 were single-vehicle crashes all related to drowsy driving, distractions, speed, and the like.
The freeway is not a free-for-all to excuse bad driving behavior.
“We do see a lot on our freeways in the summer because people are traveling a lot more. They’re going on vacations. There’s a lot more chances for people to drive fast and lose focus on the speed that they’re going,” Kristen Hoschouer, Zero Fatalities program manager, said.
Hoschouer said a good rule of thumb is if you are driving a longer distance, switching off with another driver can put someone fresh behind the wheel. If you are the only one who will be driving, be sure to give yourself plenty of breaks and something to eat and drink.
