Whether you're traveling early in the morning or late at night, Lafayette's Evangeline Thruway is known for its high volume of traffic.
The thruway helps connect travelers to the heart of the city.
Sgt. Robin Green, the Public Information Officer of Lafayette Police Department (LPD), said she travels on Evangeline Thruway daily, to get to work.
Green said drivers and pedestrians need to take precaution.
"For the pedestrians, we need them to understand that they should be crossing at the crosswalks and those crosswalks are located at the lights, on the intersections for the thruway," Green said. "That is a tool to help ensure the safety of people having to cross the thruway that don’t have means of transportation."
Green suggests pedestrians utilize the crosswalks and wear bright-colored clothing, when walking across the thruway.
"When you’re wearing dark clothes and you’re not using the crosswalks, it’s hard for drivers to see you and whenever they see you, it’s too late," Green said.
Deidra Druilhet, Public Information Officer for Louisiana's Department of Transportation (DOT), said there are several tips drivers can keep in mind, to help ensure the safety of themselves and those around them.
"One of the things that we always want to do is remind motorists to anticipate any pedestrian traffic wherever they may be traveling," Druilhet said. "Whether it's on a local, slow speed type route or even on the interstate."
DOT officials also advise drivers not to get in front of vehicles, when crosswalks are ahead of them.
"Most importantly, we do encourage drivers not to drive distracted or to refrain from driving under the influence," Druilhet said.
According to the Lafayette Police Department, there has been a total of nine fatalities involving pedestrians, year to date.
