Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will join other local law enforcement agencies in participating in the Click-It or Ticket campaign which runs from May 14 through June 3, 2018. The campaign is coordinated and funded by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Additional deputies will be assigned to saturated patrol efforts, and there will be multiple checkpoints held in conjunction with the campaign. Seat belt checkpoints will be conducted on Wednesday, May 16, Wednesday, May 23, and Thursday, May 31. Additionally, a DWI checkpoint will also be conducted on Thursday, May 31.
During the seat belt checkpoints, deputies will be checking motorists for seat belt and safety seat violations, as well as other violations such as expired inspection tags. During the DWI checkpoint, deputies will be looking for drivers who are possibly impaired while checking for other traffic safety issues, including but not limited to seat belt usage. Remember that Lafourche Parish is a “No Refusal” parish, meaning if a suspected drunk driver refuses a breathalyzer test, deputies will seek a search warrant to have that person’s blood tested.
Click It or Ticket is a seat belt enforcement campaign aimed at increasing the national seat belt usage rate. Every year during the annual Memorial Day Weekend holiday period, law enforcement agencies join forces day and night, from coast-to-coast, for an enforcement blitz that delivers a simple message: “click it or ticket.” According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,668 lives in 2016. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate is at 90.1 percent – but nearly 27.5 million people still don’t buckle up.
Sheriff Craig Webre thanks citizens for buckling up and asks for patience and cooperation when passing through these checkpoints and for recognizing the importance of raising awareness for safety issues.