Starting Monday, local law enforcement agencies will step up traffic enforcement efforts around schools.
Emporia Police will be looking in part for seatbelt violations and will write tickets for violators. Sgt. Lisa Sage says 44 children from newborn to age 19 were killed in 2016 due to car crashes, and almost half of those children were not wearing seatbelts.
In addition, Sage also says children are much more likely to wear belts if the driver wears his or her belt. The Kansas seatbelt survey from 2017 indicates 98 percent of children will wear their belts if the driver is belted — but less than 30 percent of children will wear belts if the driver is not buckled in.
For more information about traffic safety laws and crash data in Kansas, go online to www.ktsro.org.
