Gray – In an effort to combat dangerous driving in South Louisiana this holiday season, Louisiana State Police Troop C will enhance impaired, aggressive, and distracted driving enforcement patrols throughout our troop area from November 23, 2022, to January 2, 2023. The mission of Operation Zero Deaths for the Holidays will be to detect and arrest impaired drivers and stop aggressive or distracted drivers before they can cause injury or death to themselves or others.
The end-of-year holiday season typically results in an increase in impaired, aggressive, and distracted driving related crashes. Last year during the 2021 holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, 94 people were killed and 4,600 were injured from crashes on Louisiana roadways. Of those fatalities, 11 occurred in the Troop C area. By increasing targeted enforcement in areas that are prone to crashes, our goal is to reduce the number of injuries and deaths normally experienced on our highways during this time of the year.
Increased enforcement in addition to our regular enforcement will be seen on:
· LA Highway 70 and LA Hwy 308 in Assumption Parish
· LA Highway 3127 in St. John the Baptist and St. James Parishes
· U.S. Highway 90 and LA Highway 308 in Central Lafourche Parish
· LA Highway 1 in South Lafourche Parish
· U.S. Highway 90 in Terrebonne Parish
As we approach the holiday season, motorists are reminded of the importance of planning ahead and designating a sober driver before going to any place where alcohol will be consumed. Alcohol, prescription drugs, and other drugs have many effects on the body. These substances can impair visual ability, alter the sense of time and space, impair fine motor skills needed to operate a motor vehicle, and decrease reaction times. If you feel different, you drive differently. Passengers should also never get into a vehicle with an impaired driver.
Aggressive driving behavior, such as speeding and distracted driving, are among the leading causes of highway crashes. Speeding and driver distractions can reduce a driver’s ability to react to a roadway hazard and extend the distance necessary to stop a vehicle. Distracted driving can take many forms, but all remain extremely dangerous to everyone on our roads.
Captain Lanny Bergeron, Troop C Commander, said the following, “Every day, Troopers witness preventable crashes that lead to lifelong consequences. Last year, our area suffered significant losses, many of which were young lives, due to poor choices made behind the wheel of a vehicle. As we come upon this year’s holiday season, these families will be experiencing the heartache of loss all over again. Our goal is to hopefully prevent another family from having to experience that pain by increasing our enforcement efforts. As you travel this holiday period, we ask for your help also in making Louisiana’s roadways safe by not driving impaired, distracted, or aggressive.”
Motorists who witness an impaired or reckless driver are encouraged to call *LSP (*577) and report that activity to the nearest Louisiana State Police troop location.
Troop C has investigated 44 fatal crashes resulting in 49 deaths in 2022.