Lafayette police writing tickets to anyone not wearing seatbelt during "Click It or Ticket" campaign.

As record-high traffic is expected on the roads during the 2024 Memorial Day holiday, Louisiana law enforcement officers will be writing tickets to anyone not wearing a seat belt during the Click It or Ticket campaign.

The Lafayette Police Department is proud to partner with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, in a ‘Special Wave’ enforcement endeavor proactively looking for drivers and occupants not wearing safety belts while traveling on the roadway.

In Louisiana, a ticket for a seat belt violation is $50 for a first offense.

"The impetus behind the campaign isn’t to penalize people; the goal is to find a way to motivate some people that wearing a seat belt is in their own best interests," said aid Lisa Freeman, executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.

During Memorial Day holiday periods from 2018-2022, 52 people were killed on Louisiana roads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This year, AAA projects that 38.4 million people in the U.S. will travel by car over the Memorial Day weekend, which would be the highest number of road travelers since AAA started tracking in 2000.

"With so many vehicles on the road, it’s even more important for everyone in the car, truck, SUV, or van to be properly restrained in a seat belt or child safety seat," Freeman said. Louisiana’s latest seat belt survey shows less than 15% of drivers and passengers do not wear their seat belts.

“In cases where seat belt use is known, more than 48% of the people who died in crashes here in 2022 were not wearing a seat belt. If we can get that last 15% to wear a seat belt, we can save hundreds of lives every year,” said Freeman.

This ‘Special Wave’ is called “Click It or Ticket”, and began on Monday, May 20 and will conclude on Sunday, June 2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette Police "Click It or Ticket" campaign enforced until June 2nd