Click It or Ticket Is Just Around the Corner

Beginning on Monday, May 19, and continuing through Sunday, June 1, motorists will begin seeing an increased law enforcement presence on our roadways.  During that time, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office will be joining 150 other law enforcement agencies in aggressively enforcing Kansas seatbelt and child safety seat laws.  In doing so, they will also be focusing on other traffic laws as part of the 2014 Kansas Click It or Ticket traffic enforcement campaign, which is supported by a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). 

Law enforcement officers will be stopping vehicles and issuing tickets when they observe front seat occupants, or children under the age of 14, riding without proper restraint.  Occupants, ages 14 and over, are cited individually.  In the event that a passenger under the age of 14 is observed to be unrestrained the driver will be cited.  Children under the age of four must be secured in an approved child safety seat.  Children, ages four through seven, must be securely belted into an approved booster seat unless taller than 4 feet 9 inches or heavier than 80 pounds.  Children, ages eight through 13 must be safety-belted.   In addition, the 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. 

The Click It or Ticket campaign is designed to help drastically reduce the number of preventable death and injuries that occur on our roadways each day.  Almost half of those killed in crashes are not wearing their seatbelts, while 98% of those belted receive no injuries.  While seat belts may not always protect from serious or fatal injury, certainly no other piece of equipment within the vehicle provides more protection.

Everyone knows there are seat belt laws and seat belts and child safety seats save lives and reduce injury.  But, too many drivers make the conscious decision to disregard the law and not buckle up.  The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office wants to encourage residents to voluntarily comply with the law, but if they choose not to they should know that citations will be issued in order to help make our roadways safer for everyone.