SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The highways and byways will be full of traffic as Memorial Day nears....that's the word from Marilyn Buskohl, of South Dakota AAA. Despite upward trending pump prices, higher airfares and lodging costs, more Americans will drive, fly, ride the train or bus, or take a cruise vacation compared to last year.
About a 122--thousand South Dakotans are expected to travel over the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, a slight increase over last year. Buskohl says it will be the largest number of South Dakotans traveling over the holiday since 2005. National estimates also show new records anticipated, with 39 million travelers set to hit the roads and airways.
"Everybody, it seems, has travel destinations during the summer,” says Lee Axdahl, director of the state Office of Highway Safety. “But, we don’t want the roadway safety details to get lost in the excitement of planning a trip!”
South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers also plan to be out on the highways, making sure motorists are obeying the law. The Highway Patrol is conducting a joint I-90 safety operation with the Minnesota Highway Patrol for a 23-hour period that starts Friday morning and ends early Saturday.
South Dakota HP Head Colonel Craig Price said in a news release that in 2016, there were no motor vehicle fatalities during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, but there were 26 people injured in motor vehicle crashes. Of that 26, 10 were not wearing seatbelts.
The auto club is also offering a way to keep drinking drivers off the road, with it's "Tipsy Tow" program. Just call 1-800-AAA-HELP (222-4357) for a safe ride home for you, your vehicle and another person. No questions asked. The service will run from Friday through Sunday in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Mitchell and Yankton.
(KELO's Mark Russo, SD Public Safety Dept. and AAA-SD contributed to this report)