Baton Rouge area drivers are now more likely to get away with drunk driving

Baton Rouge, LA – All states have made drunk driving illegal even if there is some variation of the law in each jurisdiction. Drivers are all told that they can face serious consequences such as fines, loss of a driver’s license, and jail time if they are caught driving after consuming drugs or alcohol. An intoxicated driver who injures other people can also be sued in civil court as well. However, there are also practical concerns about enforcing these laws effectively. Various police departments around the state of Louisiana have limited resources, which tends to lead to less time and effort being spent to keep the roads safe from drunk drivers. 

Local news for the Baton Rouge area reported on problems related to decreased enforcement of drunk driving laws in Louisiana, despite increases in accidents. 

More drunk drivers and less police to stop them

Nola.com gave a summary of various drunk driving incidents in the report [1]. This included an incident in New Orleans on Esplanade Ave. near a parade where a drunk driver hit nine cyclists, two of which did not survive their injuries. Data from local police departments shows much less of a response to incidents involving drunk drivers in the past decade, even while both local and national trends show that drunk driving deaths have increased during the same time period. A research project from LSU in Baton Rouge also confirmed that drunk driving arrests in Louisiana peaked in 2009, but at the time of publication in 2023 about half that number of drunk drivers were being arrested annually. New Orleans saw one of the largest drops in recent years, where just 69 arrests related to drunk driving were made for all of 2022. Just a few years prior the department would have made about that many arrests in a month.

A former commander of the New Orleans DWI police unit had said that there are several hundred less officers available than there were several years earlier when he was working. He also commented that detecting and enforcing laws related to drunk driving requires special training and scientific knowledge, which tends to not happen if a department is understaffed or there is high turnover. 

Drunk driving accident attorneys in Baton Rouge

Miller, Hampton, and Hilgendorf is a firm that assists clients with accident and personal injury lawsuits in Louisiana. Those who have recently been hurt can contact their attorneys to learn more about how to receive compensation. 

USAttorneys.com is a service that works with people who are looking for lawyers who can assist them. Anyone who needs a referral to a licensed attorney in their area can call 800-672-3103 to get connected. 

Firm contact info:

Miller, Hampton, and Hilgendorf

3960 Government St., Baton Rouge, LA 70806

225-343-2205

www.mlhlaw.com

Sources:

1. https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/dwi-enforcement-plummets-in-new-orleans-as-parade-season-looms/article_29e68fce-990e-11ed-8f46-93dfac51d467.html