Attention teen drivers: Sheriff’s deputies will be watching you
Teen drivers beware.
If you’re speeding, not wearing a seat belt or driving while distracted, you may be pulled over by one of the extra Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputies patrolling around area high schools over the next two weeks, according to a release.
The heightened traffic enforcement around Wichita-area high schools from Monday to March 9 is part of a larger effort by law enforcement in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma to reduce deadly traffic crashes.
SCSO in conjunction with KDOT will be conducting a two-week seat-belt enforcement FEBRUARY 26 through MARCH 9, 2018. The enforcement will be focusing mainly on teen drivers and their occupants. We will also be looking for adults and children who are not wearing their seat-belts. pic.twitter.com/lfCNOEeJg0
— SG County Sheriff (@SGCountySheriff) February 23, 2018
A video tweeted by the Sheriff’s Office states that seat belt use saved an estimated 13,941 lives in 2015.
Car crashes are the leading cause of teen deaths, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported. In 2015, 769 teen drivers and 531 passengers died in vehicles driven by teen drivers. More than half of them did not wear their seat belts.
In Kansas, 13 teens died in car crashes in 2015, and five of those teens were not properly restrained.
Jason Tidd: 316-268-6593, @Jason_Tidd
This story was originally published February 23, 2018 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Attention teen drivers: Sheriff’s deputies will be watching you."