Local officers are conducting increased Click It or Ticket seat belt patrols during one of the state’s largest belt enforcement campaigns of the year, Oct. 14–27. The campaign aims to increase belt use to stop preventable deaths and injuries.

In Freeborn County during the last three years, four unbelted motorists were killed and five were seriously injured. Statewide during this same period, 409 unbelted motorists were killed and 814 suffered serious,life-altering injuries.

Seat belts must be worn correctly — low and snug across the hips; shoulder straps should never be tucked under an arm or behind the back.

“Believe us, the last thing we want to do is write seat belt tickets,” said Albert Lea Police Lt. J.D. Carlson. “That’s why we are reminding motorists to buckle up. We want you to avoid meeting us, and more importantly, avoid getting hurt or killed.”

Carlson added that motorists are the first line of enforcing the law by speaking up and insisting that all passengers are belted. “It may not be cool or easy to nag everyone to buckle up, but it’s a lot easier than dealing with the consequences.”

The enforcement effort will also include a nighttime seat belt enforcement focus. Each year, more than 60 percent of the nighttime fatalities (from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.) are not buckled up.

Carlson said a seat belt is a motorist’s best defense in case of a crash. He notes that in rollover crashes, unbelted motorists are usually ejected from the vehicle. In most cases, the vehicle will roll over them. Often, unbelted motorists will crack teeth out on steering wheels or break their nose, and even slam into and injure or kill others in the vehicle.

Local officers will enforce the state’s primary seat belt law during the effort. The primary law requires passengers in all seating positions, including the back seat, to be buckled up or seated in the correct child restraint. Officers will stop and ticket unbelted drivers or passengers. A seat belt fine is $25 but can cost more than $100 with court and administrative fees.

The primary law has helped the state achieve a record-high daytime seat belt compliance rate of 92 percent.

The campaign will also include enforcement of Minnesota’s strengthened child passenger safety law which requires children to use a booster seat starting after they have outgrown a forward-facing harnessed restraint (typically 40–60 pounds, depending on seat’s weight limitations). Children should remain in a booster until they are age 8 or 4 feet 9 inches tall — whichever comes first. It is recommended, however, to keep a child in a booster based on their height rather than age.

Belt use is especially an issue in Greater Minnesota communities. Annually, nearly 80 percent of unbelted traffic deaths occur on Greater Minnesota roads.

The Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign is a component of the state’s Toward Zero Death initiative.