School zone enforcement begins in Shawnee

SHAWNEE, Kan. - Residents in Shawnee will notice an increased presence in school zones as police begin an enforcement aimed at reducing preventable traffic crash deaths.

Officers with the Shawnee Police Department will be stepping up child safety restraint and speed enforcement.

Authorities will be looking for violators of the Safety Belt Use and Child Passenger Safety Acts.

According to the Shawnee Police Department:

• These acts require that all occupants must be appropriately restrained. Occupants, ages 14 and over, are cited individually. In the event that a passenger under the age of 14 is unrestrained, the driver will be cited.
• Children under the age of 4 must be secured in an approved child safety seat. Children, ages 4 through 7, must be securely belted into an approved booster seat unless taller than 4 feet 9 inches or heavier than 80 pounds.
• Children, ages 8 through 13 must be safety-belted.
• Persons under the age of 14 are prohibited from riding in any part of a vehicle not intended for carrying passengers, such as a pickup bed.

Shawnee Police hope the School Zone Enforcement Campaign can help to reduce the number of preventable deaths and injuries that occur when un-belted drivers and passengers are involved in traffic crashes.