MSHP urges safety ahead of Memorial Day weekend

MISSOURI (KQTV) -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol is urging travelers to be safe ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.

Due to ongoing construction throughout the state, MSHP suggests travelers use the Missouri Department of Transportation's Traveler Information Map to plan their travel days.

MSHP said drivers and boat operators are reminded to follow all of Missouri's laws when it comes to operating motor vehicles and watercraft: wear seatbelts when traveling in a vehicle and wear a life jacket when near, on or in water.

MSHP's 2026 Memorial Day holiday counting period begins at 6 p.m. Friday, May 22 and will end at 11:59 p.m. Monday, May 25. Every available trooper will be on the road or on the water.

Troopers on the road will focus their attention on hazardous moving violations, speed violations and impaired drivers. The Patrol will participate in Operation CARE (Crash Awareness Reduction Effort) over the weekend.

Over the 2025 Memorial Day holiday weekend, there were 868 vehicle crashes statewide, which injured 356 people and killed four.

Memorial Day weekend is also the unofficial start of boating season. During the 2025 Memorial Day weekend, there were three boating crashes, which included no fatalities and no injuries.

Last year, troopers made 81 driving while intoxicated and no boating while intoxicated arrests.

The public is encouraged to call the Patrol's Emergency Report Line at 800-525-5555 or *55 on your cellular phone if they witness criminal activity or experience an emergency. The emergency numbers are operational for both highway and water emergencies.