Memorial Weekend travel surges in eastern Idaho
On the eve of one of this year’s biggest travel seasons, the roads around eastern Idaho are packed.
“I live on the Ririe Highway so it took me quite a while just to get out onto the Ririe Highway just to get down here. So lots of traffic going that way too,” said traveler Merri Mickulin, who was gearing up for a three-hour drive to Ogden, Utah, when Local News 8 caught up with her Friday morning.
“Just got off work about an hour ago from my job, ran home and got my car full of everything I’m taking,” Mickulin said.
As travelers hit the roads, police are cracking down on unsafe driving.
“We’re just asking people to slow down because those types of behaviors cause crashes — and those are preventable,” said Lt. Chris Weadick with the Idaho State Police.
“People are late sometimes getting out of the door. They get stuck behind a pickup and a camper. They’re in a rush to get from Point A to Point B and they sometimes make unsafe passing maneuvers,” said Weadick.
Statistics show 74 percent of Americans traveling Memorial Day weekend while do so by car.