The Mississippi Highway Patrol completed its annual Thanksgiving enforcement period during the five-day stretch from Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. to Sunday, Nov. 27 at midnight.
During that time, 5,309 citations, 171 motor vehicle accidents and 67 DUI arrests were conducted statewide, according to an MHP release.
Also, 67 injuries and two fatalities occurred. However, no fatalities occurred in Pearl River County.
“It is not unusual that there were no fatalities in Troop K, but that number is always shifting and is very unpredictable,” Chase Elkins, Troop K public affairs officer, said.
Two out of the seven DUI arrests occurred in Pearl River County, along with four collisions and one injury.
On Thanksgiving Day, there were 16 DUI arrests, three drug arrests, 25 total collisions, two alcohol related collisions in the state and one fatal collision in Leflore County. Of those, five collisions and one alcohol related collision occurred in Pearl River County, according to the MHP release.
Friday, the day with the heaviest traffic of the enforcement period, concluded with 41 total collisions investigated by the MHP, one alcohol related collision, 21 total injuries and no fatalities. In Pearl River County, two DUI arrests were made, along with three collisions and one injury reported on Friday.
Of the 33 total collisions investigated on Saturday, none were in Pearl River County, MHP release states. However, three DUI arrests were made as well as a drug arrest in the county on Saturday.
On the final day of the enforcement period, 41 collisions were reported in the state along with 21 injuries and a fatal crash in Wayne County, according to a MHP release.
In Pearl River County, one DUI arrest was reported along with five motor vehicle collisions and seven injuries on Sunday, MHP release states.
“MHP observed heavy traffic throughout the period and anticipates the number of motorists traveling to increase due to the upcoming December holiday period,” MHP release states.