Drive carefully, buckle up: Kansas law enforcement agencies focus on traffic enforcement

Kansas drivers should expect increased police presence starting Sunday, as state and local law enforcement agencies focus on enforcing seat belt and child restraint laws.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Wichita Police Department will join the Kansas Highway Patrol and around 160 other law enforcement agencies in the annual Click It or Ticket campaign. The effort will run through June 2 for police, June 3 for KHP and June 4 for sheriff’s deputies.

Wichita has had 19 traffic fatalities so far this year and most could have been prevented if people would have worn seat belts, said Trevor Macy, a public information officer with the Wichita Police Department.

“We’re proud to be a part of this important initiative to improve traffic safety and educate our Wichita area drivers on the importance of wearing a seat belt,” Macy said.

The purpose of the campaign is to reduce the number of preventable deaths and injuries that occur when unrestrained drivers and passengers are involved in traffic crashes.

Buckling up before driving can cut the risk of fatal injury or death in half, the sheriff’s office said, adding that wearing a seat belt is important in order for airbags to work properly during a crash.

Kansas law requires all occupants to use safety restraints in passenger vehicles. Adults also must make sure children are properly restrained. A Kansas law enforcement officer has the right to stop a vehicle if they see an unrestrained adult in the front seat or an unrestrained child anywhere in the vehicle.

Last year, the KHP issued 76 adult safety belt citations and nine safety belt warnings during the campaign. It issued 20 child restraint citations, one safety belt teen citation and one safety belt teen warning.

The amount of adult citations went down by 50% in 2021 compared with 2020, when the KHP handed out 151 adult safety belt citations.