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BATON ROUGE — Heading into one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reminds everyone to buckle up, don’t speed, and never drive impaired.

Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced an estimated 9,560 people were killed in traffic crashes in the first three months of 2022 – the deadliest for that time period since 2002 and a 7% increase over 2021. The new estimates mark the third year of increases in traffic deaths.

“This unofficial end of summer is a busy and dangerous period for road travel and on our nation’s waterways, and we need everyone to remember to never drive while impaired by alcohol or any other drugs,” said Sunny House, MADD Louisiana Affiliate executive director. “With traffic deaths at a 20-year high, we need everyone to do their part to keep our roads safe.”

Nationwide in 2020, 11,654 people were killed in crashes involving a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. During the Labor Day weekend, 38% of all traffic deaths were caused by drunk driving.

MADD supports NHTSA’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over national education and enforcement campaign that began August 17 and continues through Labor Day. The campaign combines national advertising and mobilization of law enforcement officers who conduct sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and increased enforcement. Research shows that highly publicized, frequent sobriety checkpoints reduce alcohol-related fatalities by an average of 20 %. In addition, highly visible, fair, and equitable enforcement of hazardous driving behaviors saves lives and prevents injuries caused by impaired driving.

“MADD thanks NHTSA for its campaign and the law enforcement officers who are working over the holiday weekend to keep our roads and waterways safe across the country,” House said.

MADD has provided supportive services to nearly one million drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge through local victim advocates and the 24-Hour Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP. Visit www.madd.org or call 1-877-ASK-MADD.