As spring travel picks up across northwest Louisiana, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office is preparing to step up enforcement in an effort to curb preventable injuries and fatalities on local roads. From April 19–27, deputies will participate in a statewide seat belt enforcement campaign focused heavily on pickup truck drivers and their passengers.

The initiative, funded through a grant from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, comes in response to data showing a persistent safety gap among pickup truck occupants. According to the commission, pickup trucks are twice as likely to roll over in a crash, yet the people inside them are less likely to buckle up. Findings from the 2019 Louisiana Seat Belt Observation Survey revealed that pickup occupants use seat belts 8.8 percent less frequently than those in other types of vehicles.

Throughout the campaign period, deputies will increase their presence on roadways with high-visibility enforcement efforts aimed at identifying unrestrained drivers and passengers. The focus is not just on issuing citations, but on changing habits that can have life-or-death consequences.

“Wearing a seat belt takes just a few seconds, but it can mean the difference between life and death,” said Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. “Too often, we see tragic outcomes that could have been prevented with one simple decision. We want everyone in Caddo Parish to make buckling up a habit every time they get in a vehicle—no matter how short the trip.”

Law enforcement officials say campaigns like this are designed to serve as both a reminder and a deterrent. By increasing visibility and enforcement, they hope to reinforce the importance of seat belt use as a routine part of driving, not an afterthought.

As deputies patrol throughout Caddo Parish during the campaign, the message remains straightforward: buckling up is one of the simplest and most effective ways to stay safe on the road.