ST PAUL, Minn. — It's one of the easiest things a driver can do, and yet thousands of Minnesota motorists pull into traffic every day without putting on their seatbelt.
And over the last few weeks, a few of those drivers have been busted as part of a campaign to save lives across the state.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says 1,922 people were cited between May 20 and June 2 for not wearing their seatbelt as law enforcement carried out a recurring "Click It or Ticket" campaign. While that's an improvement from 2023 when 2,382 drivers were ticketed, the DPS said there is still plenty of work to do.
“Enforcing the seat belt law is not about writing tickets — it’s about saving lives,” said Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety Director Mike Hanson. “If any of the more than 1,900 people cited had been in a crash, they may not be here today. It’s easy, it’s smart and it’s the law. Wear your seat belt and get home safe.”
Here are some examples of what law enforcement saw during the campaign:
- Hastings police pulled over a woman wearing her infant in a chest baby carrier. She was issued a child restraint citation.
- South Lake Minnetonka police pulled over a driver and asked why he wasn’t wearing his seat belt. The driver said, “If I’m meant to die, I’ll die.”
- A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle after seeing the driver and passenger without their seat belts. The driver was arrested for DWI and drug possession.
State Troopers, officers and deputies from 272 agencies across Minnesota took part in the crackdown, with overtime shifts paid for with federal funding.
DPS said wearing a seatbelt can save your life: the preliminary numbers from 2023 show 84 unbelted motorists died in crashes. Observational surveys conducted by law enforcement indicate more than 90 percent of front-seat passengers consistently wear seatbelts.
Besides being a state law, failing to wear a seatbelt can be expensive. A ticket is only $25, but with court and administrative fees a violation usually runs $100 or more.
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