Louisiana Lawmakers Crack Down on Drunken Drivers

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Lawmakers seeking to curtail drunken driving backed a string of proposals that toughen penalties, give law enforcement officers more methods to test for driver impairment and crack down on repeat offenders.

Six bills addressing intoxicated drivers have been signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Drunken car accidents are especially predominant in Louisiana. According to data from Louisiana State University, almost 300 people died in alcohol-related crashes last year.

But the number of fatal crashes has been in steady decline over the past five years due, with ongoing state initiatives to crack down on repeat drunken driving offenders.