‘Click It Or Ticket’ underway in Erath

Erath police officers are stepping up seat belt enforcement ahead of the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
The Erath Police Department for the next few weeks will be on the look out for drivers and passengers 15 and younger who don’t wear their seat belts.
The annual “Click It Or Ticket” campaign comes just before the start one of the most active travel weekends of the year.
It will be held starting May 23 and runs through June 5.
A ticket in Erath for not wearing a seat belt is $52.
“I feel like Click It or Ticket It Campaign is important because it is focused on savings lives,” said Erath Police Chief Anna Lapointe.
Funding for the campaign is provided by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
In addition to increased patrols, Erath Police Chief Anna LaPointe wants to educate drivers and passengers on the dangers of unbuckled driving and the correct way to buckle up safely:

Consequences of not wearing a seat belt

Buckling up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, whereas not buckling up can result in being totally ejected from the vehicle in a crash, which is almost always deadly.
Air bags are not enough to protect you; in fact, the force of an airbag can seriously injure or even kill you if you’re not buckled up.
Improperly wearing a seat belt, such as putting the strap below your arm, puts you and your children at risk in a crash.

Guidelines to buckle up safely

The lap belt and shoulder belt are secured across the pelvis and rib cage, which are better able to withstand crash forces than other parts of your body.
Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck.
The lap belt rests across your hips, not your stomach.
NEVER put the shoulder belt behind your back or under an arm.