(Pixabay)

Kaiserslautern police are checking drivers for seat belt use as part of the ROADPOL Seat Belt Campaign, a Europe‑wide effort in which police monitor compliance with seat belt regulations. ROADPOL stands for the European Road Policing Network.

A traffic check Monday on Mainzer Strasse, in the eastern part of the Kaiserslautern, found that many motorists were not buckled up or were using their cellphones, the Westpfalz police department said in a news release.

Drivers in Germany face a €100 fine for holding a cellphone, €150 and a one‑month license suspension if they also endanger someone, and €200 plus a one‑month suspension if they also cause damage, according to German Automobile Club ADAC.

While the seat belt campaign runs through March 15, “drivers should still expect traffic checks” even after it ends, Kaiserslautern police spokesman Bernhard Christian Erfort told Stars and Stripes.