Published: August 29, 2008 11:42 pm            

Police protecting drivers this Labor Day weekend

PRINCETON — Troopers and deputies will be out watching heavy Labor Day weekend traffic for drunk drivers and other infractions, but high gas prices will likely give them less traffic to watch than usual.

West Virginia State Police will increase patrols and focus on enforcing traffic rules during the holiday weekend as part of Operation C.A.R.E. (Com-bined Accident Reduction Effort.) The target period for stringent enforcement started Friday and will continue until Monday, Sept. 1.

Troopers are also participating in the national “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign. Motorists can expect to see sobriety checkpoints and conducting saturation patrols on all West Virginia roadways during the holiday.

Last year during the Labor Day holiday, five people were killed in separate crashes in West Virginia, state police officials said. In Virginia, 22 people died in 16 crashes, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

Travelers driving through Virginia this Labor Day can also expect sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to deter driving under the influence. A new law that took effect July 1 makes underage drinking and driving punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. Violators could serve a year in jail and either pay a $500 fine or serve 50 hours of community service.

County law enforcement agencies plan to be watching for erratic driving and traffic violations this holiday weekend, too.

“We normally try to have a full shift,” said Chief Deputy Darrell Bailey of the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department. “I know in the past few years it hasn’t been as bad as it used to be. Most of our problems around Labor Day weekend are traffic related. We get DUIs, and more car wrecks due to the volume of cars on the road.”

Gasoline prices are reducing the number of vehicles hitting the highways this Labor Day, said Laura Gooch of the Bluefield AAA.

“We are seeing a slight drop in travel and this is probably in response to the increase in the gasoline prices,” Gooch said. “We are seeing a few people on the road since the Fourth of July because the price has gone down, but travel overall is still on the decline.”

People who do plan to travel during the long weekend are still going to destinations like Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg in Tennessee or Myrtle Beach, S.C., she said. While many travelers still drive, others are seeking less expensive methods.

The rising cost of air travel is leading to more people reaching their destinations by rail, Gooch said. Others are turning to different means.

“A gentleman who was in here the other day — and we don’t have anything to do with buses — said he was taking the bus to New York somewhere and there were very few empty seats. People are looking for alternatives.”

        

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