The Mississippi Highway Patrol is urging people to use caution and common sense on the roads during the holidays. As MPB's Mark Rigsby state law enforcement will be targeting a much traveled route from the capital to the coast.
Troopers will be highly visible on interstates and state highways during the Christmas holiday weekend.
MHP Captain Johnny Poulos says the enforcement focus Friday will be on Highway 49, from Jackson to Gulfport.
"It's a highly traveled weekend. We just want people to know our mission is for everyone to arrive safely to their destinations. That requires really good responsible decisions from the drivers."
Poulos advises people driving to their destinations to allow enough time to get there.
"When you don't allow yourself time enough to travel, speed becomes a factor. When you have speed involved in crashes, then we have injuries, and unfortunately, fatalities."
Poulos reminds us to have a safe driving plan when alcohol is involved in Christmas festivities.
"We have the alcohol issue that always comes into play. We're asking people to please have a designated driver in place. That's not really a hard decision to make when you have your family, you're responsible for your family, your friends, and every other person that is out there traveling on the roadways."
There were five traffic fatalities in Mississippi during the Christmas holiday period last year.
