Mississippi Highway Patrol launches ‘Drive Right Mississippi’ initiative

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The Mississippi Highway Patrol is launching an initiative to keep drivers safe on the road.

The Fourth of July is often celebrated with fireworks and family barbecues. But, something important to remember during the holiday is road safety.

MHP says they investigated 63 crashes with one fatality, and also made 43 DUI arrests during the Fourth of July enforcement period in 2019.

This year, they are conducting a traffic safety initiative. It’s called ‘Drive Right Mississippi,' and it focuses on different factors that impact the safety of drivers. It will run the entire month of July.

According to MHP, it centers on a few things such as the Left Lane Law, distracted and impaired driving, speeding and seat belt use.

MHP says they will have all available troopers assigned to saturation patrols and checkpoints for the Fourth of July weekend. The enforcement period started early on July 3rd, and will run until Sunday, July 5 at midnight.

Another important thing to remember is to wear your seat belt. The Mississippi Department of Transportation says one out of two people killed in a motor vehicle crash are not wearing a seat belt. They also say that in 2016, drunk driving fatalities represented 18% of total traffic deaths in the Magnolia State.

According to MHP, because of the increase of traffic during the summer, motorists are asked to have a ‘drive right mentality.'

All of this is to help keep Mississippi safe this weekend.

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