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Dec. 11, 2024 - While most people in Louisiana are enjoying the sights and sounds of the holiday season this year, impaired drivers get to hear the jingle-jangle of shiny, silver handcuffs as law enforcement agencies gear up for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.
The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is sponsoring the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign through January 1 to deter people from driving while impaired. Louisiana Law enforcement agencies will have extra patrols dedicated to finding and arresting drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“To be clear, we are not interested in who is or isn’t drinking,” LHSC Executive Director Lisa Freeman said. “However, when someone who has been drinking decides to drive a motor vehicle, that becomes our business. Our law enforcement partners will spot those drivers, pull them over, and arrest them.”
Numerous studies show that even a small amount of alcohol can alter a driver’s alertness, reaction time, and judgment. The same is true for drugs, even prescribed drugs, Freeman said.
“Many prescribed drugs can make you sleepy or affect your senses, and you should always know how your body reacts to a drug before you get behind the wheel,” Freeman said. “The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign covers all driving impairments, including any drug that alters your senses while you are driving.”
Impaired driving continues to be a major problem in Louisiana. During the Christmas holidays from 2019 through 2023, 325 people in Louisiana were injured or killed in a crash involving a driver who had been drinking, according to data from the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety at LSU.
“Holiday travelers should not have to worry about impaired drivers endangering everyone on the road,” Freeman said. “So, every time law enforcement officers take an impaired driver off the road, they are protecting all of us.”
Although most drivers in Louisiana do not drink and drive, Freeman said they also can play a part during Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
“Be a designated driver, be that person your friends can count on,” Freeman said. “If you see a friend or family member has had too much to drink, volunteer to drive them home or arrange a safe ride for them. It may be the best Christmas present you ever give.”
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