The 'Eagle Times' Student Newspaper

Seatbelt law passed

New requirement for teens and safety belts

by Jerod Barker

January 24, 2008

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for kids 15 to 18 years of age. The Kansas Department of Transportation is trying to change that statistic by passing a new law concerning teenage driver safety.

Effective Jan. 1, all drivers and passengers ages 14 through 17 are now also required to buckle up regardless of where they are seated in the car.

Drivers can now be pulled over and fined $60, including court costs, for the sole violation of not wearing a seatbelt.

16-year-old driver Amanda Lewis felt the law was a good improvement.

“I believe the law is a good one because many teens don’t realize the importance of wearing a seat belt and that it could save your life,” Lewis stated.

In the past, law enforcement could only issue warnings to teenage violators via the Kansas safety belt use law (K.S.A. 8-2503) which was enacted on July 1 of last year. Now hope to really make an impression of the importance of safety with the new fine.

Fellow driver Heather Herrmann had similar feelings on the subject.

“I think it’s a great idea because it could potentially save your life if something happened that you wouldn’t expect,” Herrmann said. “There’s really no reason not to wear your seatbelt.”