Louisiana State Police Say Roads Safer Due to Increased Enforcement

Increased enforcement on the state’s roadways by Louisiana State Police troopers has led to a decrease in the number of fatal crashes, injury crashes, and even minor property damage crashes, the LSP says.

State Police Troop A wrote more citations in 2008 than in any previous one-year period. In 2008, Troop A investigated 90 fatal crashes, down from 102 in 2007. Crashes involving injuries dropped from 2,970 in 2007 to 2,242 in 2008. There were 3,139 people injured in crashes in 2008, down from 3,722 in 2007.

Troopers issued over 6,000 seat belt citations in 2007. That number rose to more than 10,000 in 2008. DWI arrests rose from 1,575 in 2007 to 1,655 in 2008.

Due to recent legislation there are additional troopers on the road compared to previous years. This increase in road troopers has allowed Troop A to focus more on safety awareness and to key in on high-traffic and high-incidence areas throughout the troop, according to the LSP.

Motorists will continue to see state troopers out enforcing the state’s traffic laws. Safety checkpoints, insurance checkpoints, and sobriety checkpoints will continue to play a significant role in Troop A’s traffic safety enforcement plan.

Source: Louisiana State Police