MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on May, 19, 2022.
Officers, deputies and troopers reported 1,798 people who did not wear their seat belt during the statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign from May 23 to June 5.
Data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s campaign also showed that the number of unbelted fatalities this year, 35, is down 13% from this time last year.
The campaign “strives to stop the preventable loss to families across Minnesota” while advertising in support of the Toward Zero Deaths traffic safety initiative.
“The number of unbelted Minnesotans dying in traffic crashes rose the last two years, and the impact is devastating to loved ones left behind,” Office of Traffic Safety Director Mike Hanson said in a statement Tuesday.
The Minnesota State Patrol of District 2500 (Golden Valley) led the metro area with 144 seat belt citations.
Outside the metro area, Virginia and Duluth topped greater Minnesota with the most citations at 129, and 97 respectively.
Seat belts are super important in making sure we all stay safe in the event of a crash, yet the Minnesota DPS still found cases where drivers had children in the backseat not properly restrained.
During the campaign, St. Paul Police cited an unbuckled driver with an infant and 2-year-old in the vehicle. The infant was in a child seat but not belted. The 2-year-old was not properly belted, and the child restraint was not buckled in the vehicle.
The incident was one of 69 child restraint citations issued during the two-week period.
Under Minnesota state law, all children must be in a child safety seat until they are 4-foot-9, or at least 8-years-old, whichever comes first.
“Buckle up, drive smart and live,” Hanson said.
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