Officials to U.S. Corps: Use sediment for coastal restoration
October 18, 2006Opening this Friday, Oct. 27
October 22, 2006Deadly vehicle collisions result from one of three mistakes drivers sometimes make: Not buckling up, drinking and driving and driving aggressively. According to officials, there were fewer highway fatalities in 2005 than the previous year yet Louisiana holds one of the poorest driving records in the nation.
In 2004, 31 percent of fatal crashes were a direct result of excessive speeds so the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission geared up for “100 Days of Summer Heat,” a campaign aimed at reducing the number of speeders on the roads.
“The campaign went well but what we ended up seeing was a general disregard for the speed limit,” said Col. James E. Champagne, executive director of the LHSC. “This was the most publicized campaign we’ve run n we continually approached the public. What we saw was a continuation of speeding throughout the campaign, until the very end.”
Local police departments supported the 100-day campaign, receiving grants from the LHSC for overtime patrol compensation, to create an awareness of the consequences incurred from speeding.
Some 15,735 hours of overtime and 53,000 speeding citations issued from Jun. 5 through Sept. 12 resulted in an average of three and a half ticket issued for every hour patrolled.
Local officers were allowed to use own discretion in patrolling, targeting areas where speed limits are commonly ignored. Champagne said that rural roads and interstate highways are typically problem areas.
According to Champagn, there is a common misperception held by Louisiana drivers that speeding under 10 mph past the limit warrants no citation. About 17 percent of citations issued were given to those drivers.
“Changing attitudes and behavior of drivers involves a long-term effort,” Champagne said in a release. “The combination of public awareness campaigns and increase enforcement is a proven formula that works to move the public toward safer driving practices. Our goal is to save lives and reduce the number and severity of injuries, and for this reason we plan to conduct another [summer campaign] in 2007.”
Along with issuing speed limit citation officers issued 171 DWI citations, 1,995 tickets for safety belt or child restraint violations, and 3,347 citations for other violations.
More than 1,400 citations were issued to people using cell phones while driving, proving to be a bad combination. According to the LHSC, seven people were killed and 1,322 were injured after a crash involving cell phone use in 2005. This is first year officials tallied cell phone use in their annual traffic report.
“The number of citations we gave suggests that people don’t pay attention anyways and then when you add cell phones, drivers are even more negligent,” said Champagne.
The overall count of motorist fatalities has dropped from the past year by three percent and alcohol related incidents dropped from 45 percent to 42 percent n not large reductions but officials say it’s a step in the right direction. The national average remains at 40 percent.
Champagne says that population shifts resulting from the 2005 hurricane season may have had an effect on year-end numbers.
A reduction of residents may have reduced the number of fatalities, but the number of workers moving in to the area would have balanced the statistics. Officials cannot accurately determine the influence as of yet.
“What we do know is that our percentage of alcohol-related deaths is improving and approaching the national average and that we’ve turned around the dramatic increase in the number of motorcycle riders killed in crashes,” he said.
Motorcycle accidents resulted in fewer deaths, a 300 percent reduction from 1997 to 2003 and down to 74 fatalities in 2005 from 80 fatalities in the previous year.
Riders are required by law to wear a helmet. Since its enforcement in August 2004, official have seen a reduction in fatalities while the number of accidents has increased.
Trucks, buses and other large commercial vehicles have been involved in 9.5 percent less crashes. Paired with the 1,200 citations given to commercial 18-wheel trucks, Champagne suggests that these numbers prove that larger vehicle do not pose as great of a threat as motorist generally tend to think.
“The majority of crashes involve passenger cars and pick-ups n and people that are driving erratically,” he said. “While we’re making progress in some areas, we’re not doing so well in others.”
Andrea Carlson can be reached at (985) 876-3008 or andrea@tri-parishtimes.com
