Wisconsin State Patrol prepares for busy holiday weekend

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – It’s one of the busiest holiday travel weekends of the year, and the Wisconsin State Patrol is reminding Wisconsinites to be safe on the roads this Memorial Day weekend.

State Trooper Wameng Vang is among many law enforcement officials across the state gearing up for the busy weekend.

“We just want to be prepared for that and everything,” Vang said. “As always, just put down distractions, focus yourself on the road especially during this time here. You’re going to have construction workers out there working the interstates and everything.”

According to AAA, More than 800,000 people in Wisconsin are expected to travel at least 50 miles or more. It’s nearly a 7% jump from last year.

Anne Sayers, the Secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, said this is a welcomed sight for tourism in the state.

“Tourism is an incredibly important sector of the economy here,” Sayers said. “In Wisconsin in 2021, it had a $20.9 billion economic impact. That’s really good news for the many business and individuals that rely on tourism to make their living.”

The increase in travelers across the state isn’t necessarily a surprise to people like Sayers.

“We have been seeing this trend in recent years that folks are not leaving vacations days on the table and that they’re making the space to be together as friends, as a family and seizing every opportunity that they have,” Sayers said. “That’s exactly what Memorial Day provides.”

If you are traveling, Vang said the most important thing you can do is be patient.

“Everybody’s kind of impatient,” Vang said. “Everybody wants to get to where they want to get to, and so everybody’s just kind of going to try to get there as fast as they can and that’s the one part that we wanna stress on is be patient.”

Vang said if you plan on drinking during Memorial Day weekend, make sure you have a designated driver or another safe way to get back home.

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