Granite Falls, Upper Sioux Community, Yellow Medicine County — Drivers, passengers and kids better be buckled up or in the correct child restraint as Granite Falls, Upper Sioux and Yellow Medicine County Officers and Deputies ramp up enhanced Click It or Ticket seat belt patrols May 24–June 6. The campaign marks one year since the state’s primary seat belt law became effective June 9, 2009, allowing law enforcement to stop and ticket motorists solely for belt violations.
The primary law requires passengers in all seating positions, including the back seat, to be buckled up or seated in the correct child restraint. A seat belt fine is $110 with court and administrative fees. The campaign will also include enforcement of Minnesota’s strengthened child passenger safety law that requires children to be in the correct restraint until they are age 8, and 4 feet 9 inches tall. This law requires booster seats for kids usually starting at age 4 to ensure adult seat belts fit them correctly.
The wish is to not have to write any seat belt tickets, but that’s not reality, despite progress in increasing belt use it’s clear far too many motorists continue to not buckle up and as a result put themselves and others in the vehicle at risk in case of crash.
Each year, unbelted motorists account for more than one-half of all vehicle occupants killed. Belt use is especially an issue in Greater Minnesota communities. Annually, nearly 80 percent of unbelted traffic deaths occur on Greater Minnesota roads. Belt use is especially poor among teens and young adults. Statewide each year, motorists age 15–29 account for 45 percent of all unbelted deaths, yet this group represents only 25 percent of licensed drivers. This same age group accounts for 55 percent of all unbelted serious injuries — 70 percent occur in Greater Minnesota.
During 2006–2008 in Yellow Medicine County, six (6) motorists were killed in traffic crashes and three (3) were not belted. Another three (3) unbelted motorists were seriously injured. In a recent pre-enforcement seat belt observational survey in Yellow Medicine County 81 percent of motorists were belted. We will conduct another survey following the enforcement to measure belt use.
The enforcement effort will also include a nighttime seat belt enforcement focus. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) reports during 2006–2008, 277 motorists were killed during nighttime hours (9 p.m. – 3 a.m.) and of those killed, 178 or 64 percent were not belted.
In Minnesota during 2006–2008, 1,097 motorists were killed in crashes and 539 were unbelted; 1,152 unbelted motorists were seriously injured. According to DPS, preliminary 2009 numbers indicate unbelted deaths accounted for at least 140 deaths, more than one-half of motorists killed.
Around 400 law enforcement agencies statewide will participate in the effort coordinated by DPS as a component of the state’s Toward Zero Death (TZD) initiative. TZD is a multi-agency approach to address traffic issues regionally through enforcement, education, engineering and emergency trauma response.
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Granite Falls, Upper Sioux Community, Yellow Medicine County — Drivers, passengers and kids better be buckled up or in the correct child restraint as Granite Falls, Upper Sioux and Yellow Medicine County Officers and Deputies ramp up enhanced Click It or Ticket seat belt patrols May 24–June 6. The campaign marks one year since the state’s primary seat belt law became effective June 9, 2009, allowing law enforcement to stop and ticket motorists solely for belt violations.
The primary law requires passengers in all seating positions, including the back seat, to be buckled up or seated in the correct child restraint. A seat belt fine is $110 with court and administrative fees. The campaign will also include enforcement of Minnesota’s strengthened child passenger safety law that requires children to be in the correct restraint until they are age 8, and 4 feet 9 inches tall. This law requires booster seats for kids usually starting at age 4 to ensure adult seat belts fit them correctly.
The wish is to not have to write any seat belt tickets, but that’s not reality, despite progress in increasing belt use it’s clear far too many motorists continue to not buckle up and as a result put themselves and others in the vehicle at risk in case of crash.
Each year, unbelted motorists account for more than one-half of all vehicle occupants killed. Belt use is especially an issue in Greater Minnesota communities. Annually, nearly 80 percent of unbelted traffic deaths occur on Greater Minnesota roads. Belt use is especially poor among teens and young adults. Statewide each year, motorists age 15–29 account for 45 percent of all unbelted deaths, yet this group represents only 25 percent of licensed drivers. This same age group accounts for 55 percent of all unbelted serious injuries — 70 percent occur in Greater Minnesota.
During 2006–2008 in Yellow Medicine County, six (6) motorists were killed in traffic crashes and three (3) were not belted. Another three (3) unbelted motorists were seriously injured. In a recent pre-enforcement seat belt observational survey in Yellow Medicine County 81 percent of motorists were belted. We will conduct another survey following the enforcement to measure belt use.
The enforcement effort will also include a nighttime seat belt enforcement focus. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) reports during 2006–2008, 277 motorists were killed during nighttime hours (9 p.m. – 3 a.m.) and of those killed, 178 or 64 percent were not belted.
In Minnesota during 2006–2008, 1,097 motorists were killed in crashes and 539 were unbelted; 1,152 unbelted motorists were seriously injured. According to DPS, preliminary 2009 numbers indicate unbelted deaths accounted for at least 140 deaths, more than one-half of motorists killed.
Around 400 law enforcement agencies statewide will participate in the effort coordinated by DPS as a component of the state’s Toward Zero Death (TZD) initiative. TZD is a multi-agency approach to address traffic issues regionally through enforcement, education, engineering and emergency trauma response.
