The state is updating its Strategic Highway Safety Plan after nearly one-thousand people were killed in crash crashes in 2021. Based on preliminary data, 971 motorists died, a 17-percent increase from 2020. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Executive Director Lisa Freeman says that’s the highest percentage increase in one year since crash fatality records have been kept
“The increase in risky driving behavior, which we have seen in Louisiana and throughout the country, is as much a public health epidemic as any other community crisis,” said Freeman.
Increasing education efforts, strengthening laws and public policies to prohibit risky behaviors such as distracted driving and increasing accountability through enforcement are some of the strategies the state will deploy to reduce fatal crashes. State Police Superintendent Lamar Davis says they are committed to this effort
“Our troopers, our officers, DPS officers, and public safety partners across the state will remain visible, will remain vigilant, they are going to be out there educating, they are going to be out there working to change that negative behavior,” said Davis.
Governor John Bel Edwards says he sees way too many drivers looking at their phone instead of the road
“It only takes a few seconds for that to cause a major problem, if the car in front of you has slowed or stopped, or if you are entering into a construction zone or you are coming to an intersection,” said Edwards.
Comments