August 9, 2022 3:30 a.m.

Through September, the Roseburg Police Department has extra patrols working traffic enforcement, with a specific focus on safety belt use, distracted driving and speeding.

Sergeant Daniel Allen said in 2017 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts. Allen said seat belts have been proven to be one of the best ways to save a life in a crash.

A release said distracted driving is one of the fastest growing safety issues on the roads today. The national distracted driving effort focuses on ways to change the behaviors of drivers through legislation, enforcement, public awareness and education.

Allen said these patrols are made available due to grants received from Oregon Impact and the Oregon Department of Transportation.