WICHITA, Kansas, May 15, 2008 – When it comes to wearing seat belts, Kansas ranks 44th in the nation and the state says that is unacceptable.

Kansas has launched its latest Click It or Ticket campaign Thursday and the person behind the effort knows first hand why seat belts can mean life or death.

"That was the telephone poll right there, this one here, yeah this one right here, and that's where I ended up, over there in front of that sign,” said Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Brenda Dietzman.

Dietzman describes hitting a telephone pole, which caused her patrol car to roll two and a half times; turning it into a metal wreck.

It was a call that brought Dietzman to 4500 S. Broadway in January of 1992. She says wearing her seat belt is why she’s alive today.

"You will never read a headline, ‘Sgt. Brenda Dietzman was killed in a car accident because she wasn't wearing her seat belt,’ and there's a lot of things we can do as individuals to help protect that,” Dietzman said.

Dietzman is helping to kick of the Click It or Ticket safety campaign, which enforces seat belt laws statewide.

"Our troopers are going to be out there actively working and enforcing, that does mean writing tickets so we're asking everyone to go and put that safety belt on and avoid that,” said Superintendent Terry Maple with the Kansas Highway Patrol.

According to K-DOT, in 2006, 60 percent of crash victims were not wearing seat belts. On the other hand, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that seat belts saved more than 15,000 lives.

"Life is fragile and it's so precious and as a person you have a responsibility to your friends, your family, your community to protect that fragile, precious gift and this is one of the ways to do that,” Dietzman said.

The National Click It or Ticket campaign runs from May 19th through June 1st, but you can expect Kansas law enforcement to monitor drivers year round.