(Sept. 4, 2026) – Thousands of vehicles will travel on Kansas roadways during Labor Day weekend. As summer ends and the school year begins, many families will head out for the long weekend. Safe Kids Kansas, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, State Farm Insurance and the Kansas Department of Transportation, urges families to buckle up and drive safely to protect their most important cargo, their families.
From Aug. 31 to Sept. 13, a safety-belt awareness campaign called "Bucks for Buckles" will take place in 44 Kansas cities. Local volunteers will hand out dollar bills to drivers whose occupants are securely buckled in their vehicles. Those riding unrestrained will receive educational materials on how seat belts and child safety seats save lives and reduce injuries.
"Every trip you take in a vehicle has some risk of being involved in a crash," Safe Kids Kansas State Director Cherie Sage said. "That's why it's so important to be prepared by wearing your seat belt and using appropriate child safety seats and booster seats for every person, on every ride."
According to the KDOT 2025 Occupant Protection Observation Survey, 84.7 percent of Kansans were wearing seat belts, compared with the national average of 91 percent in 2024. Kansas saw a 1.5 percent decrease from 2024 to 2025. Seat belts save more than 15,000 lives each year and are the best defense against drunk, aggressive and distracted drivers.
"Wearing a seat belt can cut your risk of a serious injury in a vehicle crash by up to 50 percent," Sage said. "It takes just a few seconds to buckle up, and that simple step can help save your life. Make it a habit every time you get in the vehicle."
For more information about safety belts or child safety seat use, call (785) 296-1223 or visit SafeKidsKansas.org, SafeKids.org. Find them on Facebook and Instagram: @safekidskansas.
--Terry Siek