Olie Bowden, left, and Kendall Goodden buckle up in Goodden's car after shopping in downtown Lawrence. A new state law will set the fine for not wearing a seat belt at 0.

Come Tuesday, law enforcement officers start writing tickets if they find teenagers aren’t wearing their seat belts.

Changes in Kansas seat belt laws went into effect in July, requiring all drivers and passengers who are ages 14 through 17 to buckle up – no matter where they are sitting in the vehicle.

Since then, there has been a grace period during which officers spent time educating the public instead of writing tickets, Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Edna Buttler said. Now the ink pens and the ticket pads are coming out. Ticket price: $60.

“They’ve had a long time to prepare,” Buttler said of teen drivers.

Now, officers can stop a vehicle if they see a teenage driver isn’t wearing a seat belt, even if no other traffic violations are observed. Previously, not wearing a seat belt was a secondary violation and drivers could not be stopped solely for that reason.

In mid-December, the state sent reminders about the law to high schools, said Chris Bortz, assistant bureau chief for traffic safety with the Kansas Department of Transportation. Posters also were sent.

“We’re hoping they made announcements at the schools,” Bortz said. “We were hoping to catch them right before Christmas break.”

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Kansas teens who are between 15 and 18 years old.

“It takes five seconds or less to buckle your seat belt, which could make the difference of a lifetime,” KDOT Secretary Deb Miller said in the news release.

During 2008, the state will conduct a compliance study to see whether teens are obeying the seat belt law. Observers will check locations where teens can be found in 20 counties, including Douglas County, Bortz said.

Generally that will be around high schools. Observers will watch from along the streets near four-way stops and other locations where traffic is slow, Bortz said.

“It’s very reliable. So many vehicles have seat belts and shoulder harnesses, so it is easy to see,” he said.

The state law has not changed for adults. Adult drivers and passengers in the front seat are required to buckle up, but passengers in the back seat are not. If an adult is driving, an officer must still see another violation before the driver can be stopped.

Adults should be a model of seat belt use for their children, Miller said.

“Adults should lead children by example by buckling up every trip, every time they ride in a vehicle and by asking other adults to do the same,” she said.