Teen seat belt enforcement ongoing in Kansas

From now through March 8th, law enforcement across Kansas is checking to see if you’re buckled up.

“It’s going to be targeting enforcement around high schools,” said Chris Bortz with the Kansas Department of Transportation. “Once again, we’ll be looking at teen drivers, but also parents that will be interacting with kids around the high schools, too.”

The idea is to get new drivers to remember to buckle up every time.

“Every time you get behind the wheel, or you get into the vehicle, that habit has to be there, to put that belt on,” said Bortz. “We do know that seatbelts do save lives and they reduce injury.”

Everybody should be buckled up.

“It is a primary enforcement for adults in the front seat and for anybody under the age of 17, no matter where they’re at in the vehicle,” said Bortz. “Whether it’s in the passenger seat or in the back seat or wherever else, it’s all primary enforcement. You can be stopped for not wearing your belt.”

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens 15 to 18 years old in the United States.