Proposed legislation would increase seat belt penalties

By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Both the Kansas House and Senate are scheduled to hear legislation increasing the adult seat belt fine from just $10 dollars to $60 dollars.

An increase was recommended Tuesday in a report from the Senate Committee on Transportation.

The hearing comes just as law enforcement from across the state began the annual Seatbelts Are For Everyone program Monday, in which extra patrols are set up around high schools to enforce seat belt usage among teens.

Kansas Highway Patrol Public Resource Officer Technical Trooper Tod Hileman said he is in favor of the change because the increase makes sense.

“I go stop one teen at 17 (years old) and write him a $60 ticket, five seconds later, I go stop another teen that is 18, and they are both going to the same high school and he’s a $10 (ticket.) It’s really not that fair,” Hileman said, adding that $10 is also “not a deterrent.”

Hileman said part of Senate Bill 82 legislation includes that a portion of the extra funds from seat belt citations will go toward expanding the SAFE program to more schools across the state.

The SAFE program begins in October with high school students spreading awareness on the importance of seat belt usage.

Enforcement by officers began Monday and lasts through March 6.