Few of us prefer to work on holidays, and that’s especially true on holidays such as Labor Day, the unofficial end of the summer vacation season and a day to honor American workers.

But we’re awfully glad that at least two groups of workers were on duty that day — our law enforcement officers and first responders. In fact, they may have worked harder during the Labor Day weekend than on other non-holiday days.

That’s because when we’re off from work on a holiday there are typically many more of us on the road traveling hither and yon — and often not being as cautious as we should be.

Between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency troopers investigated six traffic fatalities, 185 accidents resulting in 101 injuries, arrested more than two dozen people for driving under the influence and cited 227 people for seat belts, more than 1,600 for speeding and more than dozen for reckless driving.

And all of this during the agency’s “101 Days of Summer Safety,” during which troopers and others worked overtime to spread awareness about the dangers of risky driving behaviors during the deadliest days of summer, those from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Despite Labor Day weekend’s depressing statistics, there is strong evidence that this campaign was successful: Because of those efforts the agency witnessed 32 fewer traffic fatalities compared to the same time in 2023.

But now it’s once again up to us drivers. As ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor noted, “While we are encouraged by the decrease in fatalities, there is still much work to be done. These tragic incidents underline the importance of road safety … and the ongoing need for vigilance and adherence to the state’s laws throughout the entire year.”

Taylor is spot on. As we move deeper into the fall with football and other seasonal activities, roadway traffic is not likely to let up anytime soon — making it more important that each of us continues with the basics of driving: wearing a seatbelt, putting down the phone and other distractions, and driving sober.

As the agency’s awareness campaign showed us all, these are simple rules of the road — and those we can all live with.