TUPELO, MS-Natchez Trace Rangers will have additional patrols and conduct checkpoints during the Labor Day Weekend, starting on August 31, 2017, and continuing until September 4, 2017, as part of a national effort to promote traffic safety. In conjunction with the National Park Service Traffic Safety Coalition, Rangers are targeting dates associated with increases in traffic deaths. This event targets traffic associated with the Labor Day Weekend. The goal of the operation is to provide a deterrent effect and arrest drivers for impaired driving, speeding, inattentive driving, and other traffic offenses by significantly increasing patrol coverage on the Parkway. Impaired driving, speeding, not wearing seat belts, and prohibited drivers are recurring factors in fatal accidents on the Parkway.
The Natchez Trace Parkway reminds everyone that they can assist in preventing a DUI from ever occurring. If you are planning a gathering or celebration with alcohol included, or if you are out on the town, plan ahead and designate a non-drinking, sober driver. A DUI and drug-impaired arrest can cost more than $10,000, including time in a jail sentence, the loss or your driver’s license, lawyer fees, and higher insurance rates – as well as the embarrassment when friends and family find out.
The National Park Service recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving:
- Plan a safe way home before the fun begins.
- Designate a sober driver.
- Visit NHTSA’s Something To Think About website at https://www.nhtsa.gov/something-think-about
- If you see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact 911.
- If you know people who are about to drive after drinking, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.
Media Release/Jane Allen Farmer
Park Ranger, Interpretation
2680 Natchez Trace Parkway
