Think twice before getting on the road after a drink this holiday season
LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - The holiday season is here, and many of us will be spending time with family and friends, but if you are having a drink or two, you should think twice before getting on the road.
Sixteen years ago, Barbara Dartez lost her grandson Ryan. He was a pedestrian at an LSU game and was hit by a drunk driver.
“He had a terrible brain injury and you know, we tried and tried, and we had so many doctors helping him to save him and to cure him, but it just wasn’t to be, you know, so right now he’s walking with the Lord without any injuries and I can’t wait to see him again,” Dartez said.
The loss led her to volunteer with the organization MADD, or Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It’s her mission to make sure everyone is responsible.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2017 to 2021, more than 830 people died in crashes involving a drunk driver just during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
“So a big thing you want to do to prepare is always have a plan, if you plan on having any drinks at all, you need to have a plan, you need to have a safe and sober ride home,” said Amber Ashworth, transportation safety coordinator for Destination Zero Deaths in the Southwest region.
Ashworth said in 2021 alone, there were nearly 14,000 fatalities due to impaired driving.
“Southwest Louisiana is not immune to that. We do see a spike throughout the months of November and December. We want to make sure that we know that because we are not invincible to that,” Ashworth said.
Calcasieu Sheriff-Elect Stitch Guillory said deputies will be out this weekend on patrol and at a checkpoint.
“We’re just asking people to go out and have fun, but do it responsibly because a drunk driver not only hurts themselves, but they hurt innocent other people that are out there on the road trying to enjoy their holiday. That’s the last thing we want to happen in our area,” Guillory said.
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