MSC News

MSC News National Headlines Sports Top Headlines CBS US News CBS Technology

Printer Friendly

Email to a Friend

Seat belt enforcement campaign begins Monday

By Greg Bebermeyer

05/16/2020

(MSC News)--The Atchison, Hiawatha and Horton Police Departments will be joining other law enforcement agencies across the state in the 2020 Kansas Click It or Ticket campaign, beginning Monday and continuing through Sunday, May 31.

The campaign is supported by a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation.

The campaign is designed to increase seat belt awareness and to cut down on injuries and deaths from traffic crashes due to the lack of seat belt usage.

Enforcement will occur around the clock. Seatbelt use diminishes after nightfall, meaning the likelihood of unbelted crash injuries and deaths rise during those hours.

About 345 persons are involved in 170 crashes each day in Kansas. Only 7% of those that are unbelted are likely to escape without injury. Half of all fatalities occur among those who are not wearing a seat belt.

The state of Kansas requires that all occupants be properly restrained. The fine for an adult not wearing a seat belt is $30. The fine for youth 14-17 is $60, while the fine for a child under 13 is $60 plus court courts and goes to the driver of the vehicle.

Kansas’ overall adult seat belt compliance rate is 85% and ranges, by county, from 62% to 97%, with occupants in rural counties generally less likely to buckle up than those in urban counties.

According to KDOT, almost two-thirds of Kansas’ fatality crashes occur on rural roadways while these roads account for only one-third of all crashes.

You will need to be logged in to leave a comment.

Please Login

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited.

Click here to review our Terms of Use.