Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will conduct a seat belt checkpoint and a DWI checkpoint this Friday, March 17 in Lafourche Parish. These checkpoints are designed to help raise awareness for these types of violations and make the highways of the parish safer for all motorists. The seat belt checkpoint will be conducted Friday evening, and deputies will focus on checking motorists for seat belt and safety seat violations. A DWI checkpoint will begin Friday evening and will continue into the early morning hours of Saturday, March 18. During the DWI checkpoint, deputies will be looking for drivers who are possibly impaired while checking for other traffic safety issues.

Sheriff Webre reminds citizens to designate a driver if you are going to drink. Motorists suspected of DWI who refuse to submit to a breathalyzer test will lose their driver’s license for one year (first offense). For a second offense, the penalty increases to two years. Anyone convicted of a DWI offense while their driver’s license is suspended because of another DWI offense will face automatic prison time. Lafourche Parish is also a “No Refusal” parish, meaning if a suspected drunk driver refuses a breathalyzer test, deputies will seek a search warrant to have that person’s blood tested.