Drivers urged to practice safety during Memorial Day holiday

Law enforcement officials said the goal of the campaign is to enforce seat belt laws, increase seat belt use, and educate the public about seat belt safety.
Published: May. 27, 2023 at 1:10 PM CDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Drivers are being urged to practice safety when out on the roads during the Memorial Day holiday.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Walker Police Department are just two of the more than 130 Louisiana law enforcement agencies participating in the “Click It or Ticket” campaign.

Law enforcement officials said the goal of the campaign is to enforce seat belt laws, increase seat belt use, and educate the public about seat belt safety.

“In Louisiana, fewer than 14% of drivers and passengers do not wear their seat belts, but those occupants comprise more than half of the motor vehicle fatalities in this state,” said Lisa Freeman, executive director for the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. “Numbers don’t lie. Wearing your seat belt dramatically increases your chances of surviving a motor vehicle crash.”

According to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, crash statistics from 2021 show that 322 of the 615 drivers and passengers who died in crashes were not wearing a seatbelt.

While authorities work to encourage the use of seat belts year-round, the “Click It or Ticket” campaign will mean more “highly visible” efforts. Officials said anyone caught breaking the law can expect to get a ticket.

“From a safety perspective, an unsecured passenger in the back seat can be in more jeopardy during a crash because they become a high-speed projectile, endangering themselves and those in the front seat,” Freeman said. “That is why our law enforcement partners are targeting all occupants, not just drivers, during Click It or Ticket.”

There are also efforts underway during the Memorial Day holiday to prevent drunk driving.

Officials with Mothers Against Drunk Driving Louisiana are urging people to make a plan and designate a non-drinking, unimpaired driver.

Officials said that during the 2021 Memorial Day period, 40% of deaths on the road involved an alcohol-impaired driver.

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