PLATTE CITY, MO (KCTV) -
Highway patrol, on both sides of the state line, are looking for drivers behaving badly. Extra patrols have been on the road, around the clock, keeping families safe.
Trooper Ryan Wood has been patrolling Missouri highways for four years now. The husband and father says it is not just about writing tickets, but making sure families like his are safe on the road.
"If my family travels when I'm working, if they get into a crash, I would want a trooper to be the first one to the scene, because I know they are going to get taken care of well," Wood said.
Wood knows all too well the dangers that come with driving when the roads are especially busy, like Labor Day weekend.
He says it is drivers who don't pay attention to the small details that end up with the biggest problems.
"During our peak travel times, we just see simple inattention. Following too close and not paying attention to lane changes is the cause of the vast majority of the crashes we see during the day," he said.
Speeding is also a major concern for troopers. However, these days, they have so much technology at their disposal, like radar detectors that Wood says drivers don't stand a chance.
Wood and other troopers worked 12-hour shifts Monday so they could have more units on the road. He says drivers just seeing those marked cars is motivation enough to slow down.
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