Louisiana law enforcement launches “Click it or Ticket” initiative

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - For the next two weeks, Louisiana law enforcement will have a heavy presence throughout the highways and local roads statewide.

This is part of the “Click it or Ticket” initiative which focuses on the use of seatbelts while driving to decrease the rising number of traffic deaths.

Just this year alone, a minimum of 228 tickets have been given to drivers and passengers.

“Between January and March of this year our troopers issued 228 tickets, whether it was a driver or passenger within the vehicle that did not have the seatbelt or was not wearing it properly,” State Trooper Derek Senegal said.

The lack of seat belt usage is often a key factor among young drivers. Officials say 66 percent of fatal crashes involving those between the ages of 15 to 24 were not wearing seatbelts.

Louisiana currently remains below the national average, coming in at 85.7 percent in seat belt usage compared to the national average of 90.3.

However, Deputy Director of Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Dortha Cummins said the goal is to get that number up to one hundred percent.

“Our goal is to get to one-hundred percent because we know that the more people that use seat belts, the more it will drive down our fatalities and serious injuries on our roadway,” Cummins said. “It’s not about beating the national average, it’s about saving lives.”

The campaign will end on June 5.

For the next two weeks, if caught not wearing a seatbelt, a first offense ticket will be $50, while subsequent tickets will be $75. However, no price is worth your life.

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