TOPEKA, Kansas (WIBW) – Many people across Kansas will be hitting the roads for the last time this Labor Day weekend.

Safe Kids Kansas, sponsored in part by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, State Farm and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), encourages families to buckle up and drive safely this weekend.

This year, an awareness campaign called “Bucks for Buckles” will take place in 46 cities in Kansas from August 24 to September 8.

Local volunteers distribute dollar bills to drivers whose passengers are securely buckled in. Unbuckled drivers receive educational materials about the effectiveness of seat belts and child safety seats in saving lives and reducing injuries.

According to the 2022 KDOT Seat Belt Survey, 87 percent of Kansas residents surveyed wore their seat belts. The national average is 91 percent, according to NHTSA’s most recent 2022 National Occupant Protection Survey.

Kansas ranked 38th among 50 states and the District of Columbia in seat belt use in 2021. Seat belts save more than 15,000 lives annually and are the best defense against drunk, aggressive and inattentive drivers.

For more information about seat belts or child safety seat use, call 785-296-1223 or visit SafeKidsKansas.org.

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