The Hammond Police Department say the City of Hammond has been awarded a $44,280 Traffic Safety Grant from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
The grant will pay for over 1,100 hours of police overtime to enforce seat belt and child safety seat use, to keep impaired drivers off roads, and to monitor bars, restaurants, and retail outlets for the sale of alcohol to underage customers.
Throughout the year, the Hammond Police Department will join law enforcement agencies across the United States in nationwide campaigns to increase seat belt use and to curb impaired driving and underage drinking: “Buckle up in Your Truck” in April, Underage Drinking Prevention Month in May, “Click It or Ticket” in May and June, and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” between July and September.
Chief Edward Bergeron is reminding everyone to drive responsibly and he’s hoping they don’t see any impaired drivers and that everyone wears his or her seat belt. According to LSU’s Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety, 25 people were killed and 344 were injured in vehicle crashes in Tangipahoa Parish in 2021; 6 of these fatalities and 112 of these injuries involved passengers.
Bergeron and the Hammond Police Department remind everyone it is never okay to drink and drive—even if you’ve had only 1 drink. If you plan to drink, designate a sober driver, use a ride sharing service, or call the HPD at 985-277-5700 to make sure you and your friends get home safely. If you see a drunk driver, call 911. If a friend is about to drink and drive, take away his/her keys and make arrangements to get him/her home safely. And always wear your seatbelt, and make sure others are buckled up, too.
