Louisiana
Shocking dashcam footage raises concerns over roadway safety in Louisiana
ST. TAMMANY, La. (KALB) -Disturbing dashcam footage of an accident on June 10, involving a motorcyclist and an SUV is raising concerns from both drivers and motorcyclists across the state of Louisiana.
The incident occurred in the town of Slidell at an intersection on Gause Boulevard at Interstate 10. A bystander’s dashcam captured the incident as a motorcycle appears to slow at the intersection, while an SUV behind it does not. The SUV proceeds to crash into the motorcycle, eventually driving over it entirely. According to reports, the motorcyclist escaped from the accident with minor injuries. According to Slidell police, the driver of the SUV was distracted by dogs residing in the back seat of the vehicle.
Slidell police say they came to the decision to release the dashcam footage in order to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. According to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission (LHSC) in 2021, there was a total of 678 fatalities and another 23,089 cases of significant injuries in connection to distracted driving in Louisiana alone.
According to a Louisiana AAA spokesperson, Louisiana has the third-highest rate of distracted driving in the nation. A survey conducted in 2019 ranked Louisiana as the 7th highest in the nation when it comes to distracted driving fatalities as well.
The LHSC states that the most common form of distracted driving is cell phone usage, but the definition of distracted driving includes any form of activity that takes a driver’s mind off of the task of driving. During the 2024 Regular Legislative Session, a bill was introduced that would expand the current iteration of law regulating phone usage on public roadways. SB98 by State Representative Patrick McMath, would outlaw drivers from having their phones visible and/or in their hands while operating a vehicle. The proposed law was shut down in House Chambers with a failing vote of 22 yeas and 71 nays.
Want to view previous coverage on this commonplace issue that has been commonly referred to as a “dangerous epidemic?”, click here.
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A state lawmaker whose district includes Iberville and nine other parishes will lead the way on the drawing of a new congressional map when the committee convenes Friday.
Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, will chair the hearings to draw a new congressional district map. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
On Wednesday, Kleinpeter said he has not worked on any maps. He is letting the committee members and the members of the Senate work on this with staff.
The move will come nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote ruled one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black U.S. House districts unconstitutional.
“We can’t base it on race anymore, so the minority party is the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats have migrated away from the New Orléans area, so we’re looking at Democrats versus Republicans, so the minority party — the Democrats — which means it’s more favored toward Baton Rouge.”
The move would work in favor of incumbent 6th District Congressman Cleo Fields, who was a candidate for the race which Gov. Jeff Lndry suspended in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.
The ruling stemmed from Louisiana vs. Callais – a consolidation of Robinson vs. Callais – that centered on racial gerrymandering and redistricting in the state of Louisiana following the 2020 United States census. The lead plaintiff, Phillip “Bert” Callais, is a resident of Brusly.
The Supreme Court vote came despite the African American population comprising nearly one-third of the state’s population.
According to the 2020 Census, the Black or African American population in Louisiana was approximately 1,464,023,representing 31.4%of the state’s total population. Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of Black residents in the United States, ranking second behind Mississippi.
The Baton Rouge district would likely be the area to undergo the remap, he said.
It amounts to an intricate balancing act.
“What far-right Republicans don’t understand is that with Congress maps, you have to be within 776, 280 votes – within 50 votes of the other districts,” Kleinpeter said. “It’s not like our legislative maps where you can be off by thousands … when you start changing a precinct, it can run down a rabbit hole chasing this precinct over here and over there.
“We can easily draw a really strong nine Republican and one strong Democrat, so if you start watering districts down you could wind up with a 4-2 map.”
Republicans currently have a two-vote super majority vote.
“But some Republican districts are strong and others are weak,” Kleinpeter said. “If you take 58 percent Democrats and put them in Republican districts, you could end up losing Republicans.
“Drawing congress maps is very difficult – you have the leader of the party, and you have the Speaker of the House you have to protect,” he said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their maps at hole.”
One other issue is looming for the state, Kleinpeter said.
“What people don’t understand is that we will have to do this all over again in five years, after the next census comes out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll people by that time.”
The 2030 Census will play a key role in the process, but it still requires participation.
“I had plenty of next-door neighbors who didn’t want to fill out their census” he said. “I’m going to push to fill out their census. We miss out on federal money and potentially risk losing a seat. “
Neuty, the iconic Bucktown nutria visits the state capitol, with Myra Lacoste, Denny Lacoste, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Dennis Lacoste Sr., and Louisiana state Senator J. Cameron Henry Jr. Neuty was an orphan, rescued by the Lacostes. In March 2023, LDWF agents attempted to confiscate the illegal pet.
VIDALIA, La. — Louisiana State Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory Steele early Sunday morning on two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of underage operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, one count vehicular negligent injuring and one count careless operation, according to Concordia Parish Jail records.
Steele, 18, a white male, was arrested in connection with an accident that occurred at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Sunday morning on Minorca Road in Vidalia. Two passengers in the vehicle were killed. Steele and another passenger were able to escape the vehicle.
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