Law Enforcement On The Look Out For Motorists Not Buckled Up

State Police’s Click It or Ticket Campaign is in effect for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Trooper Melissa Matey says law enforcement will look for drivers who are not properly buckled and children who are not correctly restrained. She says the seat-belt provides many different protections.

“It prevents brain and spinal cord injuries and it also slows your body down from the forces of that crash by spreading the forces of a crash across a larger area of your body.”

Over the Thanksgiving holiday last year, more than 200 injuries in car crashes were reported in the state and 10 people were killed. Matey says the single most important thing a seat-belt does is make sure a person stays in the vehicle.

“Most people that get ejected from a vehicle will be seriously injured or even killed. That seat-belt keeps you in that seating position and that’s why it’s so important to make sure you and your passengers are properly buckled.”

Matey says motorists can visit 511.la.org for traffic updates. She says LSP will also be on the lookout for drunk drivers over the holiday weekend.

“Last year, 46% of the fatal crashes we saw in Louisiana involved impaired drivers, so we will be out there aggressively searching for those impaired drivers.”