Beginning next week the Saline County Sheriff’s Office will join other law enforcement agencies in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma in a two-week effort around schools specifically enforcing seat belt laws.

The goal is to stop what they say has been an epidemic for the past several years. According to the sheriff’s office, in 2015 there were 13 teens who lost their lives due to car crashes in Kansas. In those crashes 40% of those teens were  not properly restrained.

In an effort to change this trend, law enforcement across the tri- state area will be extra-vigilant when patrolling around schools.  For more than thirty years, officers have educated and warned passengers and drivers regarding the importance of using restraints while in their vehicle.

There should be no surprises when it comes to this enforcement effort.  Officers will issue citations to any individual who refuses to obey the traffic laws, whether it is for speeding, texting or failing to buckle up.

Sheriff Roger Soldan says, “Even one teen death is unacceptable. Please slow down, put the phone away or turn it off, and always buckle up.”