Albert Lea police officers and Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office deputies will conduct enhanced Click It or Ticket seat belt patrols Oct. 9-22 — the state’s first full-scale seat belt enforcement effort since Minnesota’s primary seat belt law became effective June 9.

The primary law requires passengers in all seating positions — including the back seat — to be buckled up or seated in the correct child restraint. Law enforcement officers can stop and ticket motorists solely for seat belt violations, including unbelted passengers. A seat belt citation is $25 but can run as much as $115 with court and administrative fees.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety reports during 2006-08 state that 1,097 motorists were killed in crashes — 539 were unbelted — and another 1,152 unbelted motorists were seriously injured. In Freeborn County, 10 motorists were killed — three were not belted — and another three unbelted motorists were seriously injured.

“These deaths and injuries are not only tragic reminders of the lives lost in our community, but should serve as a reminder to all Freeborn County citizens that traffic deaths due to seat belt non-use are preventable,” says Albert Lea Police Lt. J.D. Carlson. “The state’s primary seat belt law is intended to boost belt use compliance to prevent these needless tragedies.”

Law enforcement will further focus their enforcement efforts toward special nighttime seat belt enforcement patrols. Department of Public Safety reports from 2006-08 state that 277 motorists were killed during nighttime hours (9 p.m. to 3 a.m.) and of those killed 178 (64 percent) were not belted.

The Albert Lea Police Department and Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office are also concerned about belt use among teens and young adults — the groups least likely to buckle up and who are overrepresented in traffic deaths. Statewide each year, motorists ages 15 to 29 account for 45 percent of all unbelted deaths, yet this group represents only 25 percent of all licensed drivers. Of these unbelted deaths, 80 percent occur in Greater Minnesota. This same age group accounts for 55 percent of all unbelted serious injuries — 70 percent occur in Greater Minnesota. In a similar seat belt enforcement effort last May, the Police Department and Sheriff’s Office combined to issue 41 seat belt citations.

Around 400 law enforcement agencies statewide will participate in the effort coordinated by the Department of Public Safety as a component of the state’s Toward Zero Death initiative. Toward Zero Death is a multi-agency approach to address traffic issues regionally through enforcement, education, engineering and emergency trauma care.