Annual seat belt enforcement planned for next 2 weeks

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Teen drivers in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma might see more law enforcement officers near their schools in the next two weeks.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says law officers plan their annual special traffic enforcement to encourage teen drivers to wear seatbelts. The campaign will run from Monday to March 8.

Kansas patrol Col. Mark Bruce says the “High Visibility Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign” involves troopers working with local law enforcement agencies to education and enforce the use of seat belts.

The patrol said in a news release that last year, nearly half of all Kansas teens who died in traffic crashes were not wearing seat belts.