Illinois State Police District 12 based out of Effingham has announced it will be conducting Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in Lawrence and neighboring Crawford, Jasper and Richland counties for the remainder of the month of May. Those patrols will allow them to focus on safety belt and child safety seat violations. Illinois state law requires all vehicle passengers front and back to be buckled up. Seat belts remain one of the most effective safety devices in vehicles and are estimated to save nearly 14,000 lives each year. Half of vehicle occupants who are killed in traffic crashes were found to be not buckled up properly.