“There will be more troopers on our roadways this holiday looking for DWIs, speeders, aggressive drivers, improper lane usage and seatbelt violations,” according to Louisiana State Police. Holiday traveling is congested, stressed and at risk but law enforcement agencies are doing their part to make it as safe as possible.
Last year, 20 people were killed and 1,007 were injured in crashes over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. A nationally funded campaign running through January 3, 2010 is providing overtime grants to State Police and 80 local enforcement agencies to do special DWI patrols and sobriety checkpoints, according to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. The motoring public needs to slow down, have patience, and no texting.
Keep a distance from 18-wheelers and leave yourself adequate time to observe dangers and react. No drinking and driving. One drink has been shown to alter your reaction time. That one holiday drink may be the difference between you avoiding a crash and getting into a crash. People who witness aggressive or impaired driving should call *LSP (*577) from their cell phone or call their local law enforcement agency.
