As part of National Teen Driver Safety Week, Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will conduct a seat belt checkpoint during the daytime hours of Wednesday, October 18, 2017, in Lafourche Parish. During the checkpoint, deputies will be checking motorists for seat belt and safety seat violations, as well as for proper inspection tags and insurance.

National Teen Driver Safety Week begins Sunday, October 15 and continues through Saturday, October 21. This week and every week, parents should have conversations with their teens about the important rules they need to follow to stay safe behind the wheel of a passenger car, truck, or SUV. These rules address the greatest dangers for teen drivers: texting while driving, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, inconsistent or no seat belt use, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding, and number of passengers.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens (15 to 18 years old) in the United States – ahead of all other types of injury, disease, or violence. There were 1,972 teen drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2015. An estimated 99,000 teen passenger vehicle drivers were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes.