The Lawrence Police Department will be “extra vigilant” in enforcing seat-belt laws when patrolling around schools, the department announced in a news release Monday.

The effort, running through March 9, is part of a regional attempt to reduce the number of injuries from drivers and passengers not being properly restrained. Law enforcement agencies in Missouri, Oklahoma and other parts of Kansas also will be taking part.

The news release described the problem as an “epidemic,” citing the statistic that “in 2015, 13 teens lost their lives in car crashes in Kansas; 40 percent of those teens were not properly restrained.”