“Buckle Up In Your Truck” Begins This Week In Iberia & Lafayette Parishes

The "Buckle Up In Your Truck" campaign begins in Lafayette and Iberia Parishes tomorrow (April 20).

A grant from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission will allow deputies to work extra hours focusing on seatbelt use in pickup trucks and SUVs. So, why these two vehicles?

"The overall statistics show that people have a tendency to not buckle up," says Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman Major Wendell Raborn. "I guess they feel safer in the larger vehicles."

He says deputies will be checking to see that all occupants inside these vehicles are properly restrained with a seatbelt, and that infants and small children are in an approved car seat or booster seat.

"We're hoping to measure success by not having to issue one citation. The point is just to make people more aware of their safety within these vehicles."

The campaign will be conducted from April 20th to April 26th. Deputies will respond with zero tolerance.