Labette Sheriff Darren Eichinger and Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks partner to make roadways safe.

 In recent days we have seen the horrific loss of life through tragic vehicle crashes in our county. These deaths are even harder for the community to accept because they were preventable. As law enforcement leaders we believe that its critical to combine enforcement with education and community involvement to stop deaths and injuries on our roadways.

Speeding endangers everyone on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nearly 10,000 are killed because of speeding annually. That single factor accounts for more than a quarter of all traffic fatalities in our nation each year. We all know the frustrations of modern life and juggling a busy schedule, but speed limits are put in place to protect all road users.

Police agencies in our county just wrapped up the annual national emphasis on seatbelt violations. 'Click It or Ticket' is a national campaign that focuses on increasing seatbelt usage. A low-grade violation? A waste of policing time, you might think? Yet, 49% of speeding drivers in fatal crashes were not using a seatbelt.

Whenever, our agencies can access supplemental federal funding that puts more officers and deputies on the road, we will take advantage of those resources. Click It or Ticket is one of those opportunities. Just as important to programs like Click It or Ticket is the crime prevention element these programs support. With every traffic stop, our officers and deputies look for wanted subjects, suspended drivers, and narcotics violations. Passing traffic also sees those flashing red and blue lights and that offers another deterrent effect to reduce crime and traffic violations.

We have all seen speeding and aggressive drivers on State Highway 400 and 59. We've seen speeding vehicles on county roads, in our cities and through our neighborhoods. Unsafe passing and high speeds are not the rarity, they are way too common.

Men aged 15 to 20 accounting for 31% of fatal crashes were speeding. And 37% of deadly crashes involved speeding drivers who were drunk.

We are directing our officers and deputies to zero in on speeding, tailgating, and aggressive driving, and we have also requested additional patrols and manpower from the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP).

Traffic safety is not an "either or" type of duty in policing. It is another responsibility that deputies and police officers handle every day along with patrol, crime response, investigations and arrests.

You might ask what about all that cash that law enforcement must be racking in from traffic enforcement? Those fines, court fees and assessments don't go to policing budgets. They are distributed to a host of other agencies by Kansas law including:

•    10.949% to the crime victim's compensation fund
•    2.24% to the crime victim's assistance fund
•    2.75% to the community alcoholism and intoxication programs fund
•    7.65% to the department of corrections alcohol and drug abuse treatment fund
•    0.16% to the boating fee fund
•    0.11% to the children's advocacy center fund
•    2.28% to the EMS revolving fund
•    2.28% to the trauma fund
•    2.28% to the traffic records enhancement fund
•    2.91% to the Criminal Information Justice System

The remainder of fees and assessments go to the local court and local government general funds.

If you witness an aggressive driver, immediately dial 9-1-1 with the vehicle license, vehicle description, location and direction of travel. The police can't be everywhere, and we can't catch every irresponsible driver, but we will try to follow-up on every report our agencies receive. Speeding behavior and aggressive drivers may not only affect the speeder-it can also affect other drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Take our challenge,  'Won't you Stop Speeding Before It Stops You?' Let's make our communities safe for everyone on the roadway.

Sheriff Darren Eichinger                                                               Police Chief Robert Spinks

Labette County Sheriffs Office                                                   Parsons Police Department