Barton County Sheriff’s officers are emphasizing seat belt laws by participating in the Click It or Ticket program. For the week prior to Memorial Day, and continuing until June 2, drivers can expect to see more BCSO deputies on the highways, aggressively enforcing “Kansas Occupant Restraint” laws and other traffic statutes.
Click It or Ticket is sponsored by the Kansas Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Sheriff Brian Bellendir said his office joins 140 other law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Kansas who are taking part in the campaign. It is not the goal of the sheriff’s office to write large numbers of tickets, but to gain compliance from the motoring public with Kansas law, Bellendir added.
Seat belt compliance in the state of Kansas runs from 66 to 89 percent varying by county; on average compliance in Kansas is 80 percent. Unfortunately the rural areas of Kansas see the lowest seat belt usage.  While only one third of crashes occur on rural roadways, two-thirds of fatalities occur on rural roadways.
“We want people to know that the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, and all law enforcement officers throughout the state, are committed to safe roads in Kansas,” Bellendir said. “We wish everybody a happy and enjoyable Memorial weekend; please drive safely and buckle up.”