The Junction City Police Department has announced that beginning February 26 and continuing through March 9, the JCPD will join other Kansas law enforcement agencies to stop what has been labeled an epidemic for the past several years.

In 2015, 13 teens lost their lives due to car crashes, and 40% of those teens were not properly restrained. Today SAFE exists in 71 counties and 157 high schools, to help in changing the culture of youth to buckle up every trip every time.

Officers will issue citations to anyone who refuses to obey the traffic laws, whether it is for speeding, texting or failing to buckle up.

Authorities said that even one child’s death is unacceptable. Please slow down, especially in school zones, put the phone away or turn it off, and always buckle up.