'Click It or Ticket' focuses on seat belt use

Officers from law enforcement agencies throughout Louisiana are mobilizing through June 1 to ticket unbuckled motorists in an effort to increase seat belt use and save lives.
The initiative is part of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign, an annual drive of intensified enforcement of Louisiana’s seat belt law.
Louisiana’s seat belt use increased to 82.5 percent of drivers and front-seat passengers in 2013 but continues to lag behind the nationwide average by several percentage points. Louisiana’s highway death rate would likely drop significantly if all vehicle drivers and passengers buckled up on every trip.
“Lack of seat belt use is a leading cause of deaths and serious injuries from crashes in Louisiana. It’s why Louisiana law requires all motorists to use seat belts and age-appropriate safety seats,” Lt. Col. John LeBlanc, executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, said. “Officers will be working hundreds of overtime hours during the ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign to enforce the law. The best way to avoid getting a ticket is to buckle up.”
The two-week enforcement wave includes Memorial Day, traditionally among the worst holidays for traffic deaths in Louisiana.
The “Click It or Ticket” campaign includes intensified patrols, checkpoints and other enforcement tactics.
Col. Mike Edmonson, superintendent of Louisiana State Police, said his troopers are committed to the campaign.
“The Click It or Ticket campaign is an important enforcement effort in Louisiana and across the nation,” Edmonson said. “Enforcement and education are powerful tools that we hope convince drivers to obey seat belt and other laws. Troopers and our local agency partners will be out in force through the length of the campaign. Make safety a priority by buckling up.”
The campaign also reminds drivers and passengers that Louisiana law requires every vehicle occupant — including those in rear seats — to buckle their seat belts. Children must be in age-appropriate safety seats.
There are 117 law enforcement agencies and traffic safety coalitions and partners, statewide, participating in the campaign. Agencies participating in the campaign received grants from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission to pay overtime costs involved in the increased enforcement. Click It or Ticket is a nationwide campaign coordinated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
During the 2013 Click It or Ticket campaign, officers issued 15,614 seat belt, and 1,089 child passenger citations.