2013-21
NEWS RELEASE: March 8, 2013
FROM:   The Kansas Highway Patrol
CONTACT: Lieutenant Joshua Kellerman, (785) 296-6800

Troopers Join Seatbelt Enforcement Campaign Near Kansas High Schools

Enforcement will run for two weeks during March

Beginning March 11, and running through March 22, 2013, the Kansas Highway Patrol will work on an annual seatbelt enforcement campaign around area high schools.

In 2012, according to Kansas Department of Transportation statistics, Kansas unfortunately lost 43 teens in vehicle crashes, 74% of whom were not properly restrained. The KDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety and Technology is hosting this two-week awareness campaign in hopes of decreasing that number, and increasing seatbelt usage. KDOT and law enforcement partners across the state have spent over 20 years educating Kansas teens on the dangers of driving without a seatbelt.

“Teenagers are at an exciting time in their lives, with many events ahead of them—spring break, prom, graduation, state sporting events. We want them to be able to enjoy these activities, and not spend their time in a hospital bed recovering from injuries sustained in a crash, or even worse, not make it after being involved in a crash,” said Colonel Ernest E. Garcia, Superintendent of the Patrol. “Our troopers will be working around schools, and if someone’s not buckled up properly, it should not come as a surprise if they are issued a citation. We would much rather see teens and others properly buckled up, than to have to write someone a ticket.”

For the two-week enforcement period, troopers and other officers will work near local high schools. Anyone caught not properly restrained could be issued a citation.