(MSC News)--Beginning Monday, February 26 through Friday, March 8th, the Kansas Highway Patrol will join other law enforcement agencies in a stepped up enforcement around area high schools to raise awareness of roadway safety and the importance of wearing seat belts.

The enforcement campaign is sponsored by the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Seatbelts Are For Everyone or SAFE Program.

Through education, rewards, and enforcement, SAFE highlights the importance of wearing a seatbelt, driving alert, and following traffic laws with the goal of decreasing the number of teen injuries and deaths from vehicle crashes.

According to a release from the KHP, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens (15-18 years old) in the United States, ahead of all other types of injury, disease, or violence.

The KHP says citations will be issued to anyone who refuses to obey the traffic laws, whether it is for speeding, texting, or failing to buckle up.