Make holiday weekend a safe one
The long Memorial Day weekend is considered a holiday period, and despite its somber origin and meaning, it is a time-honored American tradition to celebrate it as one.
At this time set aside in tribute to those who have given their lives in service to our country, the worst way to observe it would be by senselessly and needlessly losing yours — or ending someone else’s.
The Memorial Day holiday, especially in the South, marks the unofficial start of summer. (The calendar has always lagged behind Southern summers anyway.) That means the roads and rivers and lakes and beaches will be busier than usual, and Georgia and Alabama law enforcement officials — for most of whom this will be anything but a holiday — will be out in force to keep things as safe as possible.
Most of that, of course, is up to us, and most of it is a matter of common sense. Still, a few reminders can never hurt.
If you’re traveling, drivers and passengers should all be buckled up in seat belts. If you’re boating, life vests aren’t just an obvious precaution; they’re the law.
If your holiday celebration involves a few beers or cocktails it shouldn’t involve any driving or boating afterward, except by a designated driver. And holiday traffic will make already dangerous distractions such as dialing or texting at the wheel even more foolhardy.
“Troopers will be patrolling for unsafe drivers on the interstates and secondary roads throughout the weekend,” said Georgia Public Safety Commissioner Mark W. McDonough. “They will concentrate on locating impaired drivers, unrestrained drivers and passengers, speeding violations as well as distracted drivers during their holiday patrols.”
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is sending the same messages. During the official holiday traffic period, which starts at 6 p.m. today and runs until midnight Monday, State Troopers in both the Highway Patrol and Marine Patrol divisions will have a “highly visible enforcement presence.”
Alabama Secretary of Law Enforcement Spencer Collier said officers “will target such dangerous behavior as speeding, DUI, distracted driving, following too closely and other driving behaviors that cause crashes and contribute to more severe crashes.”
Collier also emphasized that drivers should slow down as they approach highway construction zones, which pose special dangers when drivers are impaired, distracted or inattentive.
Even if you’re playing it safe and sane in every other way, it’s also important at this time of year to keep a weather eye open, especially around the water, for those storms that can brew so suddenly in warm weather.
And of course, even as you do your best to be safe and keep those around you safe, watch out for dangers — human and otherwise — that could pop up around you. Anyone who sees an impaired driver or boater, or any other obvious public safety hazard, should call 911.
Take time to remember what this weekend is about. And however you spend it, please do it safely.
This story was originally published May 29, 2016 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Make holiday weekend a safe one."