Labor Day accidents surge, MADD urges caution in Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Sunny Wall, the executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Louisiana, says law enforcement is key to keeping people safe on the road.

“What we do is our law enforcement out there is key to helping us keep the roads and communities much safer, especially on holiday weekends, where there’s a lot of traffic out there and people are partying, having a good time, which is wonderful,” Wall said.

But it can also be dangerous.

“When you go out there and you have a good time. We have so many different ways to prevent impaired driving,” Wall said.

Having fun on Labor Day isn’t the issue. The danger comes when someone decides to drive impaired.

“When they make that decision to drive impaired, they’re playing Russian roulette, and it’s a gamble, and everyone’s number comes up sometime,” Walls said.

Compared to other holidays, accidents rise during Labor Day weekend for several reasons, and one in particular stands out.

“It’s the last long weekend of the summer before people go back to work, coming back from vacation, going to school, all of the above, the things that start in the fall. So, this is the last weekend, per se, that’s extended, and people want to have a good time,” Wall said.

Even if some disagree with MADD’s push against drunk driving, Wall said the mission is simple: save lives.

“People may get mad about that. However, it’s hindering impaired driving. If that keeps you off the road, if you hear about it, so be it. It saves lives,” Wall said.

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