NATCHEZ &8212; State troopers in Mississippi and Louisiana will be out in force this weekend hopefully to stop potential accidents before they happen.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol and the Louisiana State Police will have all available men and women working radar details and roadblocks in the Miss-Lou and surrounding areas.

Louisiana Public Information Officer Jeff Covington said though New Year&8217;s doesn&8217;t necessarily top Labor Day and the Fourth of July in accident counts, the state police treat it as they do other holidays.

&8220;Generally, throughout the state, 50 percent of fatalities are alcohol related,&8221; Covington said. &8220;That&8217;s a high number. Think about how many people would still be here.

&8220;Get designated drivers. Even if you have two people in the car and one consumed less (alcohol) than the other, that&8217;s not the right option. There are too may other choices &8212; designated drivers, taxis, calling other friends.&8221;

Covington said sometimes the best option is just staying put, at the hotel where the party is &8212; or at someone&8217;s house.

&8220;Stay there,&8221; he said. &8220;Don&8217;t put yourself at risk or someone else at risk.&8221;

Louisiana&8217;s Troop E, the district covering Concordia Parish, has already had six fatal crashes with seven deaths in the month of December.

On New Year&8217;s Day last year Troop E had one alcohol-related traffic fatality.

Locally in Mississippi, the Christmas holidays were fatality free, District 9 Public Information Officer Rod Crawford said. There were 14 crashes, three with injuries, from 6 p.m. Friday to midnight Monday.

The only Christmas weekend fatalities in the state were in the New Albany and Hattiesburg districts.

During the Christmas weekend, MHP&8217;s District 9 issued 246 tickets for hazardous driving offenses, 71 for non-hazardous offenses, eight for DUI, three for no seatbelt and two for improper child restraint. One person was arrested on drug charges.

The number of violations is down from last year, Crawford said, but not because violations are down, but because fewer officers are working the highways. MHP is short personnel because of military activations, Gulf Coast cleanups and a general lack of full staffing.

New Year&8217;s Eve and New Year&8217;s Day are not typically the most dangerous weekends on the highways, Crawford said. Labor Day and the Fourth of July account for the highest number of accidents and fatalities.

&8220;It&8217;s a growing trend that so many private citizens offer free travel from a particular destination (on New Year&8217;s Eve),&8221; he said. &8220;There&8217;s so much awareness that it is a party night, so much advertising asking you not to drink and drive. It works.&8221;

There are typically more people on the highways in the summer months, too, Crawford said. Shorter winter days and cool temperatures keep some people indoors for New Year&8217;s, he said.