DPS urges safe start to summer

Posted

PIERRE (AP) – The state Department of Public Safety is encouraging travelers to start the summer off safely over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Lee Axdahl, director of the state Office of Highway Safety, says officials don't want roadway safety details to get lost in the excitement of planning a trip.

The department says Highway Patrol troopers will be out on highways enforcing the law, including an I-90 safety operation with the Minnesota Highway Patrol that starts Friday and ends early Saturday.

Col. Craig Price is superintendent of the South Dakota Highway Patrol. He says motorists should slow down, watch for others, avoid getting distracted and wear seatbelts.

In 2016, 26 people were injured in auto accidents during the Memorial Day weekend. Ten of them weren't wearing seatbelts.