Caddo deputies will step-up seat belt enforcement through the end of April in an effort to protect the lives of pickup drivers and their passengers, said Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator.

 

The Caddo Sheriff's Office received an overtime grant from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission to join officers from across the state in the "Buckle Up In Your Truck" campaign. Deputies will be enforcing Louisiana's seat belt laws to encourage seat belt usage and reduce unrestrained fatalities among pickup drivers and passengers. 

 

Pickup trucks comprise 25 percent of the vehicle fleet in Louisiana. State observation surveys and fatality data show that pickup truck drivers and passengers fall well behind occupants of other kinds of passenger vehicles when it comes to wearing seat belts. Pickup trucks are two times more likely to rollover than cars in fatal crashes.

 

Sheriff Prator reminds everyone to buckle up on every trip. Don't drink and drive, and report unsafe driving to your local law enforcement agency.