(KNZA)--Beginning Monday, February 22  through March 5, the Hiawatha Police Department will join other law enforcement agencies—including the Kansas Highway Patrol—with increased enforcement near area high schools in an effort to raise awareness through seatbelt usage.

Its part of the Seat Belts are for Everyone ( SAFE) program. Currently in Kansas, 117 high schools from 57 counties participate in the SAFE Program.

According to a news release from Hiawatha Police Chief John Defore, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens 15 to 18 years old in the United States—ahead of all other types of injury, disease or violence.

Defore said officers will issue citations to any individual who refuses to obey the traffic laws, whether it is for speeding, texting or failing to buckle up.