OTTAWA – Beginning today for the next two weeks, Ottawa police and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department will join other law enforcement agencies to crack down on teenagers who don’t wear seatbelts. Officers will be extra-vigilant when patrolling around schools looking for teen drivers and passengers who aren’t wearing their seat belts, Capt. Adam Weingartner said. The goal is to increase seat belt use amongst teens, he said. At Ottawa High School, the student seatbelt compliance rate has increased the last two years, he said. He also said drivers shouldn’t text and drive. The enforcement effort is part of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s traffic safety program, called SAFE. KDOT says most of the 43 teens killed in vehicle accidents in 2012 weren’t wearing seatbelts.
Monday, Feb. 24, 1 p.m.
