HAVE A SAFE LABOR DAY! From Senator Philip Wheeler

HAVE A SAFE LABOR DAY

By Senator Philip Wheeler

Labor Day is a time to celebrate the hard work you do to provide for your family and your contribution as a productive resident of Kentucky. Thanks for your efforts, whether they are educating students, protecting the public, keeping our roads and streets safe and clean, or helping deliver goods and services.

I also feel that it’s my duty to remind Kentuckians to be careful over the Labor Day weekend when participating in holiday activities, especially those involving alcohol.

In 2023, the National Safety Council estimated there were more than 450 traffic fatalities during the Labor Day holiday weekend. As with most statistics, be it substance abuse, overdose, crime, or other societal challenges, traffic fatalities remain above the pre-COVID numbers in 2019 and before. These are alarming trends and there are things we can do today to curb or even reduce those trends.

As the Labor Day holiday approaches and you prepare to enjoy a well-deserved day of relaxation or additional time with your loved ones, the Kentucky Office of Health and Safety recommends the following:

• Plan your travel to get home safely before going out.
• If you’re impaired, use a ride-sharing company like Uber or Lyft,  call a taxi, ask a sober friend or loved one to drive, or take public transit.
• If you see an impaired driver, report it. Contact the Kentucky State Police at 1-800-222-5555 or call 911. Provide a vehicle description, license number, location, and, if possible, the vehicle’s direction of travel.
• If you know people about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to their destination safely.
• Always wear a seat belt.

For more information on drunken driving, visit kydrivesober.com.

We continue to hear testimony in the interim ahead of adjourning for the 2025 General Assembly.  If there is anything I can do for you, or if you’d like to share your thoughts on any community matters to make our commonwealth safer, I can be reached at my office in Frankfort at 502-564-8100, or by email at Philip.Wheeler@lrc.ky.gov.

It is an honor to serve as your state senator. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

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Senator Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, represents Kentucky’s 31st Senate District, including Elliott, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin, and Pike Counties. Wheeler serves as co-chair of the Capitol Planning Advisory Board. He is a member of the Interim Joint Committees on Economic Development and Workforce Investment; Transportation; Natural Resources and Energy; Judiciary; and Tourism, Small Business, and Information Technology. Additionally, Wheeler also serves a member on the Local Government and State Government Interim Joint Committees.