The unofficial start of summer happens Friday with the start of the May long weekend.

High River RCMP Staff Sergeant Robin Alexander hopes it's a safe one.

"This is a big weekend for many, lots of people going out camping and travelling and long weekends we tend to see increased volumes on our provincial highways and we're just asking folks to drive carefully, to obey the rules of the road because we want to to get there safely and we want you to get home safely," he says.

He says they're also involved in a national campaign directed at impaired driving so they'll be out with check stops making sure impaired drivers are taken off the road. He says on a national basis they do it four times a year.

"We've all heard it over and over again, make sure you have a designated driver, if you've had more than you think you should've, you probably have so make other arrangements, call a friend, call a cab, because ultimately we want everyone to get home safe," he says.

Staff Sergeant Alexander says it's also the first weekend many people will have their recreational vehicles, boats and trailers out.

"For those that are pulling trailers and for many of us it's the first time of the year, make sure that your tire pressure is good, your equipment is up to snuff, all your lights are working when you take your RVs out on the road so you can make sure other motorists know when you're turning, slowing down all those sorts of things," the Staff Sergeant says. "If you're going to pass, pass safely and give them lots of room because we do see some near misses sometimes, 5 or 10 minutes on a long trip isn't going to change the world if you just have patience."