3 Killed In Crashes, Other Memorial Day Weekend Stats Released By State Police

MIDDLETOWN, CT - As residents gobbled up burgers and hot dogs and tried to stay dry over Memorial Day weekend, Connecticut State Troopers were patrolling highways and roads across the state. The enforcement period started at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 26, and ran through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 29.

State police said troopers focused on drunken driving violations, aggressive drivers, distracted drivers and speeding. Sobriety checkpoints and targeted DUI patrols were also in place over the entire weekend, according to a release.

During this enforcement period, troopers utilized both traditional and non-traditional patrol cars, state police said.

Over the long weekend, police said two fatal accidents resulted in three fatalities. These included a double fatality Friday on 1-91 southbound at Exit 24 and a single fatality Saturday on Route 5/15 southbound at Exit 57.

Police said troopers investigated 302 accidents, 48 of which involved injuries. A total of 31 DUI arrests were also made over the course of the holiday weekend, police said.

State police recorded 719 speeding violations and 668 seatbelt violations over the weekend. A total of 2,658 violations were recorded, which included unsafe lane changes, following too closely, texting while driving, speeding and seatbelt violations among other things.

Compared to 2016, there were approximately 1,453 less violations recorded this Memorial Day weekend. There were also 20 fewer DUI arrests in 2017, state police said.

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