State police: Labor Day weekend quieter than last year
Over Labor Day weekend, fewer people were caught driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving dangerously and speeding than last year’s holiday weekend, according to Connecticut State Police.
During the holiday weekend this year, state police issued 549 citations for hazardous driving, which includes unsafe lane changes and following too closely, compared to 2,280 hazardous driving citations last year.
The number of arrests for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol was down more than 50% compared to last year. Between 12:01 a.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday, state police made 20 arrests for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, compared to 46 during the same timeframe in 2019.
The number of speeding tickets issued also decreased: In 2019, state police issued 683 speeding tickets over Labor Day weekend, while this year, they issued 218.
In total, state police had 6,315 calls for service, down from 7,000 over Labor Day weekend in 2019.
In New London, no one was arrested over the holiday weekend for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. There were 13 traffic citations issued and police responded to 13 motor vehicle accidents between Friday and Monday, city police Sgt. Max Bertsch said.
In East Lyme, police conducted two motor vehicle stops, stopped two people for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and responded to one motor vehicle accident.
In Waterford, police arrested two people for impaired driving, conducted 19 motor vehicle stops and responded to six accidents. The department posted on its Facebook page on Labor Day that it was ramping up speed enforcement efforts in line with the start of school and looking for “creative locations” for officers to sit to monitor speeds. Waterford police said they have seen an increase in the number of drivers caught speeding since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.
“In addition to patrol officers enforcing motor vehicle violations they witness, our increased enforcement has been focused on back to school safety including speeding around schools and bus stops and passing school buses,” Lt. Marc Balestracci said. Officers are mainly monitoring speeds during school hours, he said.