Feds to pay overtime for Wichita seat belt patrol

The federal government will be paying more than $16,000 of Wichita Police overtime to help make sure you wear your seat belt when driving at night.

The money will come from federal grants administered through the Kansas Department of Transportation – $8,100 for 2017 and $8,640 for 2018 – according to a city report.

“The enforcement aspect of the program requires the utilization of monthly night time patrols, which will stop drivers for primary seat belt violations,” the report said. “Participation in this program will allow the Police Department to supplement normal staffing and routine enforcement efforts with additional, dedicated traffic enforcement personnel.”

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the grant application Tuesday, although Mayor Jeff Longwell has already signed it and the city has already submitted it to meet a state application deadline.

This year will be the sixth year that Wichita is participating in the program, the Police Department report said.

In 2016, the grants resulted in 363 additional vehicle stops on suspicion of seat-belt infractions, the report said.

That led to 233 tickets for unbelted adults, 10 violations involving children up to age 13, and six violations for youths 14-17.

State law requires all adults in the front seats of a vehicle to be belted in. Rear-seat adult passengers can’t be cited for going unbelted unless they’ve also committed some other infraction.

The fine for adult violations is $10, no court costs.

A different law requires that all minors under 18 be belted in and that children under 8 be secured in a child safety seat or booster seat. Drivers face a $60 fine for transporting minors who aren’t properly secured, again, without court costs.

In addition to paying police overtime for enforcement, the grant also funds “public education opportunities … to heighten awareness, modify perceptions, and increase nighttime seat belt compliance,” the report said.

This story was originally published January 16, 2017 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Feds to pay overtime for Wichita seat belt patrol."