HELENA — Memorial Day marks the first unofficial day of summer, but it is also the beginning of the '100 deadliest days' on Montana's roads.
MADELYN HEATH REPORTS - WATCH:
"During this holiday, we will have extra patrols out in combination with other law enforcement services here in the area to look for impaired drivers or drivers that are not obeying the traffic laws," said Lewis & Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton.
The Sheriff's Office will have anywhere from two to five extra officers on patrol in areas where fatal accidents have happened before.
Sheriff Dutton says the increase in patrols is funded through the Montana Department of Transportation's Selective Traffic Enforcement Program.
"The issue is you may be doing a great job, but other people are distracted or, worse yet, they may be chemically impaired; that is our concern," Dutton says.
In 2024, there were a total of 203 fatal crashes, 49 of which happened between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
A significant portion of these fatal crashes involve alcohol, with over 40% reporting alcohol as a contributing factor, according to the Montana Department of Transportation.
So far this year, there have been 53 fatal crashes.
Dutton says, "You cannot control the person in the car next to you, but plan out your trip, let somebody know where you are going, and then be driving defensively.
Another tip Sheriff Dutton shares is to always where your seat belt and if you plan on drinking know ahead of how you are getting home.
"If you plan to celebrate, great; if you plan to drink, don't drive," Dutton says. "You provide the alcohol, we provide the chasers. Buzz drinking is drunk driving."
There are expected to be a lot of people on the roads.
The American Automobile Assocation estimates that nationwide, 39.4 million people will travel 50 miles or more between Thursday, May 22nd, and Monday, May 26th.
