By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

As statewide efforts continue this week to encourage teen seat belt compliance,  Sgt. Mitch Berens of the Hays Police Department wants teens to know if they are caught driving without a seat belt, they can expect a citation — not a warning.

“Kids are a precious resource, so we are trying to get (teens) more motivated to buckle up,” Berens said. “We hate to lose kids to fatality accidents.”

Berens said teen seat belt usage across the state is increasing, but statistically, “We still have 19 percent of kids who are not buckling up.”

In 2012, 43 teens ages 13 to 19 lost their lives in vehicle accidents and, in 74 percent of those fatalities, the occupants were not properly restrained. Berens said 2013 state statistics are not yet available.

Additionally, according to the campaign’s sponsor the  Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office, “Rural counties tend to produce a lower belt use rate than urban counties.”

A fact Berens agrees with: “It is typical for rural communities to have a lower seat-belt compliance rate than in metropolitan areas.”

“You know (rural teens) aren’t going a long distance,” he said, “and may not think a seat belt is important for that short of a trip — so they may decide to not to put it on.”

Peer pressure also is a factor.

“They are young and have that invincible feeling about them, so sometimes they just need that extra motivation and extra enforcement to get them buckled up, ” said Berens.

Some of  that “extra motivation” comes in the size of fines.

According to Berens, if a 14- to 17-year-old is caught without a seatbelt, the fine is $60 compared to the $10 fine for an adult.

The teen seat belt enforcement campaign runs through Friday.

Berens said teens and parents can expect to see more law enforcement presence at high schools during the morning when school starts and when school ends in the afternoon.

While this week’s special enforcement focuses on teen compliance, adults who are not wearing a seat belt also will be ticketed, he added.