Officers, deputies and troopers reported 1,798 seat belt citations and 69 child restraint citations during the twoweek seat belt campaign, which included extra patrols and awareness efforts.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety coordinates the enforcement, education and awareness campaign with funding provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The campaign includes advertising across Minnesota in support of the Toward Zero Deaths traffic safety program.
“The number of unbelted Minnesotans dying in traffic crashes rose the last two years, and the impact is devastating to loved ones left behind,” said Mike Hanson, Office of Traffic Safety director. “Air bags alone aren’t designed to save you in a crash. Your driving skills alone won’t save you. Better engineered vehicles and roads alone won’t save you. But these factors plus buckling up will significantly increase your chances of surviving a crash. Buckle up, drive smart and live.”
Preliminary counts show 108 unbelted motorists died on Minnesota roads in 2021 compared with 105 in 2020 and 73 in 2019. Through June 5 of this year, unbelted fatalities (35) were:
• 13 percent lower than this time last year (40).
A list of agencies participating in the Click It or Ticket campaign is available online.
Seat Belt Citations by Agency
In the Twin Cities metro area, agencies with the most seat belt citations included:
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 2500 (Golden Valley): 144
• Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office: 78
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 2400 (Oakdale): 57
• Carver County Sheriff’s Office: 57
In greater Minnesota, agencies with the most citations included:
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 3100 (Virginia): 129
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 2700 (Duluth): 97
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 2600 (St. Cloud): 76
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 2900 (Detroit Lakes): 64
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 2200 (Mankato): 55
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 3200 (Thief River Falls): 45
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 2100 (Rochester): 43
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 2300 (Marshall): 41
• Mankato Department of Public Service, Police: 35
• Polk County Sheriff’s Office: 25
• Stearns County Sheriff’s Office: 20
Dangerous Choices Risk Ending Lives
• Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office stopped an unbuckled driver with two children in the back seat, ages 4 and 6, who were not properly restrained.
• 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.
Join the Crowd by Driving Smart and Buckling Up
Most Minnesotans are making the life-saving decision to buckle up. According to the 2021 Minnesota Observational Seat Belt Survey, 92.4 percent of front seat occupants were wearing their seat belts.
Click It or Ticket: the Law Saves Lives
Minnesota law states that drivers and passengers in all seating positions must wear seat belts or be in the correct child restraint. Occupants must correctly wear seat belts low and snug across the hips, and they should never tuck straps under an arm or behind the back.
Car Seat Decisions Affect Young Lives
Children rely on adults for proper car seat use. In Minnesota crashes from 2017 – 2021, of the 14,692 children ages 0 to 7 who were properly restrained, 88 percent were not injured, while another 9 percent sustained only minor injuries.
In Minnesota, all children must be in a child safety seat until they are 4′ 9″ tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
• Rear-facing seats – All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat until they have reached the height and weight limits allowed by the car seat manufacturer. It is safest to keep children rear-facing up to the maximum weight limit of the car seat.
• Forward-facing seats with harness – Toddlers and preschool-age children who have reached the height and weight limits of the rear-facing car seat should use a forward-facing seat with harness until they reach the weight limit of the harness allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
• Booster seats – School-age children who have reached the height and weight limits of the forward-facing seat can sit on a booster seat. The booster must be used with a lap and shoulder belt.
• Seat belts – Buckling up with a seat belt is for children 8 years old or who have reached 4 feet 9 inches. Your children are ready for adult seat belts when they can sit with their back against the vehicle seat, knees bent comfortably and completely over the vehicle seat edge without slouching, and feet touching the floor.