| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 6526 | 2015-11-19 | Statewide | Give Thanks and Travel Safely this Thanksgiving Holiday |
HEADQUARTERS NEWS RELEASE November 19, 2015 Give Thanks and Travel Safely this Thanksgiving Holiday Baton Rouge, LA - The Thanksgiving holiday period is traditionally one of the busiest travel times of the year. During the 2014 Thanksgiving holiday week, Louisiana highways saw 424 fatal and injury crashes resulting in 12 deaths and 710 injuries. In an effort to reduce the number of traffic fatalities during America's most popular travel holiday, Troopers will be working alongside our local law enforcement partners participating in the Click it or Ticket campaign. The Click it or Ticket campaign, coordinated by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, will put extra law enforcement personnel on the roads, November 22-29, to enforce Louisiana's mandatory seat belt law. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that proper seat belt use reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury by 50 percent. This holiday travel period, Troopers will be focusing on seatbelt use and those who choose not to put their children in appropriate child restraints. Louisiana law requires that all occupants be properly restrained regardless of their age or seating position. While not all crashes are survivable, seatbelts can greatly increase the occupant’s chance of surviving a serious crash and may greatly reduce the extent of injury. Troopers urge all drivers and passengers in motor vehicles to heed the warning and remember that failure to buckle up can turn the happiest of holidays into a nightmare. “With the rush of holiday travel and activities among us, simple safety precautions can sometimes be overlooked leading to often serious consequences,” said Colonel Mike Edmonson, State Police Superintendent. “Whether you’re driving across the country or just across town, always buckling up and never driving while impaired will help ensure you arrive safely at your destination and avoid a holiday tragedy.” Troopers will also be targeting aggressive and impaired drivers utilizing both fully marked and unmarked patrol vehicles this holiday period. Of the 424 Thanksgiving holiday fatal and injury crashes in Louisiana last year, 61 were alcohol related. When you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you will be arrested. There is a direct correlation between driving while intoxicated, lack of proper restraint use, and reckless operation when related to traffic fatalities. Motorists are reminded that alcohol has many effects on the body. Alcohol can impair visual ability, alter sense of time and space, and impair fine motor skills needed to safely operate a motor vehicle. Just one drink may cause these effects. Louisiana citizens and visitors to our state this holiday period are encouraged to take advantage of the Louisiana Traveler Information System through several different methods including the 511 phone system, www.511la.org, LA DOTD Twitter accounts, and the “Way to Geaux” smartphone application. Depending on the method utilized, the traveler information system allows access to valuable resources such as current road reports on crashes and construction, real time traffic camera views, and ferry status updates. In conjunction with the DOTD Traveler Information System, citizens can stay abreast of major roadway closures, emergency incidents, and pertinent safety information through LSP’s social media accounts at www.facebook.com/LouisianaStatePolice and https://twitter.com/LAStatePolice. Motorists that witness hazardous road conditions and/or reckless drivers are urged to call *LSP (*577) and report that activity to the nearest Louisiana State Police Troop headquarters. The Louisiana State Police wish everyone a SAFE and HAPPY Thanksgiving holiday. Contact Information: | |||
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