Patrol kept busy enforcing safety

The Missouri State Highway Patrol had a busy week making motorists aware of the state seat belt and child restraint laws.

From May 24 through May 31, officers from Troop E's 13-county region issued 345 seat belt summonses and 13 summonses for failure to use a child restraint.

During the Memorial Day weekend, troopers made 30 arrests for driving while intoxicated, including six from sobriety checkpoints May 28. They investigated seven alcohol-related traffic crashes, issued 423 speeding tickets, 372 speed warnings and offered assistance to 203 motorists.

Capt. George Ridens, commanding officer of Troop E, said, "The most important statistic over the holiday period was there were no fatalities in our area. That only happens when more citizens wear their seat belts and pay better attention to the job of driving."