Local law enforcement in Salina will join other Kansas law enforcement agencies across Kansas all this week to encourage seat belt safety and use in and around schools.

According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, in 2019, eight children 13-years-old and younger lost their lives due to car crashes in Kansas. Sadly, 62% of those children were not wearing their seat belts.

According to the 2019 Kansas observational seatbelt survey, children are much more likely to be buckled up if the driver is wearing their seatbelt. If the driver is buckled, about 97% of the children are restrained. If the driver is not buckled, only about 30% of the observed children were buckled. This is a chance for adults to model good driving behaviors for children.

October 25th through October 29th, law enforcement across Kansas will be extra-vigilant when patrolling around schools. Officers will issue citations to anyone who is not obeying Kansas law.

For the latest data and to see more about Kansas safety belt laws, go to: www.ktsro.org

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Photo by Chris Martin via Unsplash