Task force could help resolve DWI problem

Louisiana has made progress in the long battle to reduce the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents and fatalities. Here in the State Police Troop I area, a special effort is under way.

A three-person task force has been created and will patrol constantly in an effort to get impaired people off the highways. They will patrol for people under the influence of illegal and prescription drugs as well as alcohol.

Members of the task force will work the entire Troop I area, with special focus on areas that have high numbers of accidents involving impaired drivers.
Special efforts by law-enforcement officers have played a part in a significant drop in Louisiana's alcohol-related traffic deaths. The efforts have been strengthened recently by stricter laws passed by the Legislature. In the early '80s, a federal report showed that 60 percent of all Louisiana traffic accidents involved alcohol. Statistics for 2005, the latest available, showed that figure dropped to 36 percent.

Law-enforcement officers have always gone the extra mile to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road. The real reductions began when the Legislature finally gave officers strong, realistic laws to enforce.

Lawmakers managed for decades to maintain the mildest of penalties for driving while intoxicated. At times, lawmakers actually moved backward on the issue. A bill passed in the 2001 legislative session decreased prison time for the state's most serious drunken-driving offenders. (That same year, we ranked second in the nation in the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths.)

The legal drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 after a desperate struggle. Lawmakers dragged their feet for years on lowering the legal blood alcohol level from 0.10 to 0.08. Even then, the real motivation was millions of dollars in federal highway funds that would have been lost had the BAC limit not been lowered. We saw a reasonably strong open-container law passed after years of watching lawmakers vote for bills that were little more than bad jokes.

Another problem faced by law-enforcement agencies is still with us. The lifestyle in Louisiana - particularly in our area - is conducive to drinking. Alcohol use is accepted at fairs, festivals and sporting events. It is considered a rite of passage for young people.

Neither law-enforcement agencies nor the Legislature can resolve that problem. It would help if people realized the extent of consequences from DWI arrests. Brent Coreil, district attorney for the 13th Judicial District, pointed out facts that people should take into consideration before driving while using alcohol.

"The cost of a DWI carries over," Coreil said. "Between the penalties and the court costs and the effect it has on your insurance, I hope people realize that it's just not worth it."

The state police task force will help people realize that.

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