According to a Minnesota Department of Public Safety study, Freeborn County motorists do a poor job of wearing their seat belts.

The study states Freeborn County had 15 vehicle occupants die from 2006 to 2008 — eight of who were not buckled up.

The report, released Thursday in the midst of a statewide Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign, reveals the Minnesota counties with the highest percentage of unbelted traffic deaths based on total number of vehicle occupant deaths.

It identifies specific pockets of the state with an overrepresentation of unbelted deaths — all in Greater Minnesota, where a vast majority of unbelted traffic deaths occur each year.

Mower, Steele, Waseca, Faribault and Martin counties were grouped in the same category as Freeborn County.

Chief Deputy Gene Arnold with the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office said he hopes the public will be aware that seat belts do save lives.

He noted the county has had a unique past few years regarding traffic fatalities, and he hopes that through all of the educational campaigns passed down from the state to local law enforcement that the statistics will change, he said.

“But change is never an easy thing,” Arnold said. “Sometimes it takes a while for people to realize they do save lives and they’re not just an inconvenience.”

Two deputies with the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office were recently recognized for their efforts during a July Safe & Sober mobilization effort to educate and enforce the speed laws.

Freeborn County deputy Bob Kindler said deputies Tim Bennett and Dale Glazier received the Minnesota Safe & Sober Lifesaver Award.

During the July 2008 enforcement, the Sheriff’s Office gave about 50 citations, and this July deputies gave 125.

Bennett and Glazier gave 43 each.

Kindler said the citations were generally for speeders going 15 mph or more over the speed limits.

“They were not something to be overlooked,” he said.

The fastest speeder was going 95 in a 55 mph zone.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, more than half of Minnesota traffic deaths each year are unbelted.

From 2006 to 2008, 1,097 vehicle occupants were killed in crashes and 539 were not buckled up, a news release states. Research indicates this is a conservative number as belt use is unknown in about 10 percent of fatal crashes each year. The department estimates a majority of the unknown fatalities are unbelted.

Last week, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced Minnesota motorists’ daytime belt use compliance is 90 percent based on an observation survey.

“Regardless of our record-high seat belt use rate, it’s clear far too many motorists are still traveling not buckled up and are paying the ultimate price,” says Cheri Marti, director of the state Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety, in a news release. “The results from this county data reveal why education and enforcement of the primary seat belt law is so valuable to further increase belt compliance.”

Arnold said while enforcement of the new seat belt law is a tool for law enforcement officers, he thinks education is the primary tool in getting people to start buckling up.

“Enforcement is a secondary thing as far as we’re concerned,” he said. “Hopefully the educational part of it will take care of the secondary part of it.”

The following is a list of the Minnesota counties with the highest percentage of unbelted fatalities from 2006 to 2008:

A pod of six south central counties including a block bordering Iowa combined for 59 vehicle occupant deaths of which 35 were not belted (59 percent): Faribault (eight vehicle occupant deaths, five unbelted); Freeborn (15, eight), Martin (eight, five), Mower (eight, five), Steele (13, seven) and Waseca (seven, five).

In central Minnesota four counties combined for 45 vehicle occupant deaths of which 34 were not buckled up (75 percent): Kanabec (four, four), Mille Lacs (16, 13), Morrison (17, 12) and Todd (eight, five).

Among four north central Minnesota counties there were 52 vehicle occupant deaths and 33 were not belted (63 percent): Aitkin (eight, five), Beltrami (12, eight), Cass (15, eight) and Itasca (17, 12).

Other counties with an overrepresentation of unbelted traffic deaths include the counties of Clay (15, 10), Carlton (10, six), Pennington (five, five), Red Lake (four, four), Renville (eight, six) and Wright (34, 22).

Minnesota counties with the lowest percentage of unbelted fatalities, 2006–2008, were as follows:

Carver (22, eight), Chisago (23, eight), Douglas (21, six), Lyon (nine, three), Otter Tail (10, three), Scott (26, eight), Sherburne (16, five) and Wabasha (eight, two).

Unbelted statistics for metro counties are: Anoka (43, 23), Dakota (46, 18), Hennepin (102, 40), Ramsey (37, 19) and Washington (30, 10).

Around 400 Minnesota law enforcement agencies are participating in the Oct. 9 through 22 Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign — the first full-scale enforcement since the primary seat belt law became effective June 9. The primary law states drivers and all passengers — including in the back seat — must be buckled up or in the correct child restraint. Law enforcement can stop motorists solely for seat belt violations, including unbelted passengers.