Every available Missouri state trooper is on the road or water today (Friday), as thousands of Missourians begin to enjoy the long Labor Day weekend.

Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz describes it as the last big travel weekend of the summer.

“We know whether it’s the waterways or the roadways there’s going to be a lot of additional traffic out there. And so we’re just kind of asking people to start before they leave the house. Choose the route that they’re going to take or the body of water that they’re going to travel to,” Hotz says.

The Patrol is participating in Operation C-A-R-E all weekend: that stands for crash awareness and reduction effort. 11 motorists were killed and another 458 were injured in Missouri traffic crashes during the 2021 Labor Day weekend.

“Anytime you see 11 people killed and that many people injured just over basically a long weekend, it’s very concerning. And what really drives it home is these are all preventable activities that are causing these traffic deaths,” says Hotz.

Missouri state troopers also arrested more than 100 people for driving while intoxicated during last year’s holiday weekend.