The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) honored officers from 114 law enforcement agencies across the state for their work to increase the use of seat belts and child restraints in motor vehicles, including officers at the Harlan City Police Department, the Loyall City Police Department and Kentucky State Police Post 10 in Harlan.

According to a press release, awards were presented to officers with the most occupant protection citations in each agency and in each division at the Governor’s Occupant Protection Enforcement Awards Ceremony. The ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington.

“These officers, their departments and agencies render a great service for public safety by enforcing our occupant protection laws,” KOHS Executive Director Noelle Hunter said before presenting the awards. “Officers would rather write a seat belt or car restraint citation than make a death notification.”

Winners included local law enforcement officers Harlan City Police Officer William Clogston, Loyall City Police Chief Mike Lunsford and Kentucky State Police Master Trooper Jason Young.

Winners all received a plaque with the top three division winners being awarded the Highway Safety All-Star Award, represented with an encased commemorative Louisville Slugger baseball bat.

The release states that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), when used correctly seat belts are proven to reduce the risk of fatal injuries to front-seat occupants by 45 percent and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.

Also, correctly installed child restraints result in a 71 percent reduction in the risk of fatal injuries for infants and 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars. Correctly installed child restraints lower the chances of fatal injuries for infants by 58 percent and 59 percent for toddlers in SUVs, minivans and light trucks.

The passage of the primary law saw Kentucky’s seat belt usage rate increase from 67 percent in 2006 to 86.8 percent in 2017. The national seat belt usage rate is 90.1 percent, according to the release.

“Kentucky will continue to raise awareness and increase enforcement of this life-saving measure,” said Dr. Hunter. “Writing citations is not a strategy designed to increase arrests; in fact, it may result in decreased citation counts over time, which is our goal.”