Seat belt enforcement effort around Sedgwick County schools starts Monday

Law enforcement agencies around the state will be paying extra attention to traffic around schools during a special project that begins Monday.

The enhanced traffic enforcement effort, which runs through March 6, will focus on the use of seat belts. But Sedgwick County sheriff’s Lt. Lin Dehning said officers will issue citations for any traffic violations, including speeding and texting.

Car crashes killed 34 teens in Kansas last year, Dehning said. Nearly two-thirds of the teens who died were not properly restrained in the vehicle.

“There should be no surprises when it comes to this enforcement effort,” Dehning said in a prepared statement.

This story was originally published February 19, 2015 at 7:35 AM with the headline "Seat belt enforcement effort around Sedgwick County schools starts Monday."