Troopers will be ticketing drivers of vehicles that contain unrestrained children.

“There are drivers, regardless of widespread attention to child-passenger safety, who are continuing to put children at risk by failing to buckle them in,” said Colonel Don Brownlee, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol.

According to statistics provided by the highway patrol, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death in the United States for children ages 5 to 14. Nearly six out of 10 children who die in motor vehicle accidents are wearing no restraints. In 1998, 42 children under the age of 16 were killed in traffic accidents in Kansas. Of those 42 young people, 29 were not restrained.

Kansas law requires all children under the age of 4 to be secured in approved child safety seats. And all children younger than 14 regardless of where they are seated in a vehicle must wear safety belts at all times.

In addition to encouraging the use of safety seats and safety belts for all drivers and passengers, the highway patrol also offers these tips:

Vehicles should be in good mechanical condition.

When driving in heavy traffic, drivers should slow down and leave at least two seconds of following distance between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them.

Travelers should allow plenty of time to compensate for any road construction or inclement weather. To obtain information about road conditions in Kansas, call the road condition hotline: (800) 585-7623.