City of Derby News Release
Derby Police Prepare for Seatbelt Enforcement Campaign
May 18, 2009
The statewide Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign will run May 18-31. This annual campaign, funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), encourages motorists and passengers to follow state law and buckle up.
The Derby Police Department is one of 135 law enforcement agencies participating in Click It or Ticket. The goal of the campaign is to reduce the number of preventable deaths and injuries that occur when unbelted drivers and passengers are involved in traffic crashes. According to KDOT, 384 lives were lost in traffic accidents last year. Of those who died, approximately 61% were not wearing seat belts. By contrast, 90% of those wearing seat belts were not injured.
“Everyone knows there is a seat belt law and a law that children should be properly restrained,” said Robert Lee, Derby Police Chief. “Safety belts and child restraints are your best protection against the unexpected, including all forms of driver inattention, even your own.”
The Safety Belt Use and Child Passenger Safety Acts mandate the following:
- All front seat passengers must wear a seat belt (vehicles may be stopped by law enforcement if a person under the age of 18 is observed unrestrained anywhere in the vehicle).
- If a driver or passenger ages 14 through 17 is unrestrained, both driver and passenger will receive a citation.
- If a passenger under the age of 14 is unrestrained the driver will be ticketed.
- Passengers under the age of 14 are not allowed to ride in any part of a vehicle not intended for carrying passengers, such as a pickup bed.
- Children ages eight through 13 must be properly restrained.
- Children ages four through seven must be belted into an approved booster seat.
- Children under the age of four must be secured in a federally-approved child safety seat.
Here are few Kansas statistics regarding seat belt use:
- The state of Kansas ranks 39th in the nation for seat belt use.
- Only 75% of front seat passengers wear seat belts.
- Approximately 66% of Kansas children (ages 5-13) are properly restrained.
On May 14, 2009, the Derby Police Department monitored seat belt use by Derby High School students. Drivers who had all passengers in their vehicle properly belted received a free drink coupon from Quik Trip. The drivers that did not have either themselves or all of their passengers restrained received a copy of the Kansas seatbelt laws.
The Derby Police Department is committed to ticketing violators of Kansas passenger restraint laws, and all traffic infractions that make our roadways unsafe. Residents can visit the Derby Police Department, 229 N. Baltimore, at any time for a child safety seat installation and child safety seat check.
For more information on other local child safety seat fitting stations, call the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office at 1-800-416-2522.
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