Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will conduct a seat belt checkpoint and a DWI checkpoint on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 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 Wednesday evening, and deputies will focus on checking motorists for seat belts and child safety seat violations. The DWI checkpoint will begin Wednesday evening following the seat belt checkpoint and will continue into the early morning hours of Thursday, March 21, 2024. 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 they 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.