Lafourche council shoots down Company Canal deal
June 8, 2010Thursday, June 10
June 10, 2010Local traffic accidents are on the decline due to an increase in traffic safety crackdowns, according to Louisiana State Police, Troop C.
The total number of traffic accidents decreased by about 10 percent from an average of 4,600 annually from 2006 to 2008 to 4,133 in 2009, Louisiana State Police public information officer Brian Zeringue said. Fatalities also dropped by about 15 percent and injuries by about 18 percent.
These statistics reflect accidents occurring on state roadways in Assumption, Lafourche, St. James, St. John and Terrebonne parishes. However, more than 50 percent of these crashes occurred in Terrebonne, and more than 40 percent in Lafourche.
With this decrease, Louisiana State Police recorded an increase in speeding, drinking while intoxicated infractions, seatbelt and child restraint violations and drivers failing to yield and following too closely. This increase correlates with a rise in enforcement hours, from an average of about 32,500 annually from 2006 through 2008 to more than 44,000 in 2009, Zeringue said.
“That could be the reason some of those (infractions) went up. More tickets and DWI’s are taking poor drivers off the streets,” he noted. “Enforcement has to be done to bring people into check so they understand you have to abide by laws for a reason.”
Sgt. Lesley Peters, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office public information officer, said DWI arrests have increased on the parish level as well. The LPSO made 297 DWI arrests on parish and state roadways in 2009, nearly two-fold the 150 arrests made in 2008.
“We are well on track to beat that number,” Peters said of this year’s arrests. More than 160 DWI arrests were already made in 2010, and 19 of those were people who were caught driving with a suspended license from a prior DWI.
Peters said the LPSO contributes this emphasis on traffic safety to fewer accidents in Lafourche Parish – 1,972 non-injury crashes in 2009 compared to 2,161 in 2008. Injury-related crashes and fatal crashes also declined, from 747 to 643 and from 27 to 10, respectively.
The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office is seeing similar results, assistant uniform commander Capt. Brealon Yelverton said. From January to May 2009, the TPSO handled 364 traffic accidents on parish and state roadways – a number that has decreased to about 340 from January to May this year.
Yelverton said the majority of these crashes occur down Martin Luther King Boulevard in Houma near the intersection of Enterprise Drive. “That whole area is a traffic nightmare,” he said.
TPSO is trying to combat such accidents with the usual precautions, Yelverton said, including increasing the number of tickets, seatbelt enforcements and off-duty officers.
While Louisiana State Police and local parish sheriff’s offices are working to deter traffic accidents through higher enforcement hours, Zeringue said the most beneficial form of prevention is driver education.
“Make sure the driver is fit to be behind the wheel and taking the proper education to get behind the wheel,” he said. “And make sure the vehicle you’re driving is properly inspected and is fit to be put on the highways.”
Zeringue said it is also important for drivers to avoid consuming alcohol, drugs or medication prior to operating a vehicle. They must also be aware of their surroundings at all times and ensure there are limited distractions.
“A lot of it is elementary,” he said. “Just use your head and understand how important it is and how much responsibility you have operating a vehicle.”
