CHEYENNE - Going into the busy July 4 holiday weekend, Wyoming highway fatalities are running slightly behind the toll last year at this time.

But a rash of recent fatal accidents - five in the last four days - is closing the gap, Sgt. Stephen Townsend of the Wyoming Highway Patrol said Wednesday.

On July 1 last year, highway fatalities totaled 63. This year the number is 58.

"We're still behind a little bit, but we closed the gap here in the last several days," Townsend said.

The recent fatal accidents included five in Fremont County, one on Interstate 90 and one in Park County.

The typical fatal crash is a one-car rollover where the occupants are not wearing seat belts.

Troopers will be out this weekend working overtime in an attempt to keep the highway death roll from rising further.

During the national holiday campaign, the "combined accident reduction effort," or CARE, state law enforcement agencies will emphasize violations in the area of alcohol and drug-related driving offenses, speeding, unsafe lane changes and following too closely.

"Anything that's a moving violation that contributes to a crash is what we want the public to be aware of. We want everyone to be safe," Townsend said.

Troopers, he said, will be out working overtime. There may be several troopers working one highway or all troopers working all the highways, he said.

The CARE holiday reporting period will run from one minute after midnight on Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5 at midnight.

Last year during the July 4 reporting period, the patrol investigated three fatal crashes with three fatalities. The fatalities were in Converse County, on Interstate 90 in Crook County andon Interstate 80 in Carbon County.

Contact Joan Barron by e-mail at {M7joan.barron@trib.com or by phone at (307) 632-1244.