Labor Day is Monday, September 7, and if you’re reading this on the Friday before, you already know how the weekend goes around here. Somebody’s on the water at Cross Lake or Toledo Bend or Lake Pontchartrain. Somebody’s at a tailgate. Somebody’s driving home from Grandma’s on a two-lane road at ten at night. Most of it goes fine. This is a short reminder about the part that doesn’t, and a few habits that keep you out of it.
The numbers, plainly
Over the 2024 Labor Day holiday period, 505 people died in traffic crashes across the country, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of those, 170 people, about a third, died in crashes that involved a driver at or above the 0.08 limit. Among drivers between 18 and 34 who were killed that weekend, 40 percent were drunk.
Zoom out to the whole of 2024 and it is 11,904 deaths in alcohol-impaired crashes, one every 44 minutes. That is 30 percent of everyone killed on American roads that year. The single largest group of impaired drivers in fatal crashes was men between 21 and 34, and the rate of those crashes runs three times higher at night than in daylight.
Closer to home, Louisiana’s enforcement period runs from August 19 through September 7, which means extra patrols on the roads all weekend. In Shreveport, police told KTBS on September 3 that the city had already made nearly 420 DWI arrests this year, on pace to pass its previous high of about 550. Those are not out-of-town numbers. Those are our roads.
When the risk peaks
Two windows matter most. The first is late Saturday and Sunday night, when the cookout winds down and people who have been drinking since the afternoon decide they feel fine. The second is Monday evening, when everyone leaves the lake or the in-laws at the same time and the two-lane roads home fill up with tired drivers, boat trailers, and at least one person who should not be behind the wheel.
Dark roads are the common thread. The three-times-higher figure above is not about interstates. It is about US-79 out of Minden, LA-1 along the river, US-171 north of Lake Charles, and LA-21 north of Covington, roads with no shoulder lighting and long stretches between towns.
If you’re the one going out
- Decide who is driving before the first drink, not after. The designated driver drinks nothing, not “just one.”
- If nobody wants the job, book the ride both ways before you leave the house. A round trip from downtown Shreveport to Bossier or from Ruston back to campus is cheap compared to anything that follows a DWI stop, and nothing at all compared to a crash.
- If you drove there and the plan changed, leave the truck. A tow or a morning trip back for it is a good problem to have.
- Sleeping over is a plan. A blanket on a friend’s couch has never hurt anyone.
- Eating and drinking water do not sober you up. Only time does that, and more of it than most people think.
If you’re the one hosting
- Put food out early and keep it out. People who are eating drink more slowly.
- Have real non-alcoholic options where the beer is, not hidden in the back of the fridge.
- Stop pouring well before people start leaving. The last hour is for coffee, water, and dessert.
- Keep an eye on who came in which vehicle. If someone should not drive, say so plainly, take the keys, and offer the couch or a ride. Your friend may be irritated for one night. The alternative lasts a lot longer.
- If the party is on the water, the same thinking applies. Wildlife and Fisheries agents work the lakes over Labor Day just as troopers work the highways, and an operator who has been drinking is a danger to everyone on the boat.
If you’re on the road
- Headlights on at dusk, seat belts on for everyone, including the back seat, and the phone somewhere you cannot reach it.
- Give a weaving or lightless vehicle plenty of room. Do not try to pass it, follow it, or get its attention.
- In Louisiana, dial *LSP (*577) from a cell phone to reach the nearest State Police troop, or call 911. Tell them the road, the direction, and what the vehicle looks like. Then let them handle it.
- Assume every car at a late-night intersection might not stop. Count one extra beat on green.
If it goes wrong anyway
Most weekends nothing happens, and we hope that is yours. If it doesn’t go that way, our Louisiana drunk driving accident page covers what matters in the first few days, how the criminal case and your own claim run on different tracks, and how the Louisiana rules actually work. Read it if you need it. Not before.
Have a good weekend. Get home.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the Labor Day enforcement period in Louisiana?
- The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission's Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over period runs August 19 through September 7, 2026, with extra patrols funded across the state. Labor Day itself is Monday, September 7.
- How do I report a driver who looks impaired?
- From a cell phone in Louisiana, dial *LSP (*577) to reach the nearest State Police troop, or call 911. Give the road, direction, and a description of the vehicle. Keep your distance and do not follow or confront the driver.
- When is drunk driving most dangerous over the holiday?
- At night. NHTSA reports that fatal crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver happen at three times the daytime rate after dark, and the Sunday and Monday nights of a holiday weekend are when everyone is heading home at once.
