A greater law enforcement presence will be seen on streets and roads in Salina and Saline County beginning next week.
Both the Saline County Sheriff’s Office and Salina Police Department are joining nearly 200 law enforcement agencies throughout the state in aggressively enforcing Kansas occupant restraint and other traffic laws as part of the 2019 Kansas Click It or Ticket campaign, which begins Monday and runs through June 2.
The goal of the Click It or Ticket campaign is simple: to drastically reduce the number of preventable deaths and injuries that occur when unbelted drivers and passengers are involved in traffic accidents. In 2018, Kansas observed seat belt usage was 84 percent, below the national average of 90 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In 2017, 53 percent of the 316 deaths from automobile crashes in Kansas were people who were not properly restrained, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). Pick-up drivers, young adults, and males are among some of the worst offenders and most at-risk.
According to information provided by the Saline County Sheriff’s Office, “enforcement will occur around the clock as seatbelt use diminishes after nightfall, meaning the likelihood of unbelted crash injuries and deaths soars during those hours.”
State statutes require that all vehicle occupants must be properly restrained. Law enforcement officers can stop vehicles and issue tickets when they observe occupants riding unrestrained or without proper restraint, the sheriff’s office release states.
“I want people to know that day or night, the Saline County Sheriff’s Office is committed to aggressively ticketing violators of adult seat belt and child safety laws, as well as other traffic infractions, which make the need for occupant restraint so necessary,” said Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan. “The stop will be inconvenient, your vehicle and driver’s license numbers will likely be checked for outstanding warrants and insurance, and you’ll pay at least $30 to the court. So, use your belt and save yourself the trouble.”
Persons ages 14 and older are cited individually, however, if a passenger under the age of 14 is observed to be not properly restrained, the driver of the vehicle is cited. According to the information from the sheriff’s office, in addition to court costs of up to $108, fines for seatbelt violations are as follows.
- Persons ages 18 and older, $30
- Youths ages 14-17, $60
- Children up to and including age 13, $60
Here’s some additional information from the Saline County Sheriff’s Office:
- Children under the age of four must be correctly secured in an approved child safety seat.
- Children ages four through seven must be securely belted into an approved booster seat unless taller than four feet nine inches or heavier than 80 pounds, in which case the booster may be removed and the child belted in without it.
- Children ages eight through 13 must be safety-belted.
- Kansas law prohibits persons under the age of 14 from riding in any part of a vehicle not intended for carrying passengers, such as a pickup bed.
For answers to child safety restraint questions and the location of the nearest safety seat fitting station or safety seat technician, contact the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office at 800-416-2522 or via email at [email protected].
The Click It or Ticket campaign is supported by a grant from KDOT.