If you’re going to be on the road during these last two weeks of October, you’re going to want to make sure everyone in your vehicle is buckled up before you hit the road, because Minnesota is in the midst of a statewide seat belt crackdown.
The crackdown is part of the national Click It Or Ticket campaign, which officially began on October 14 and runs through October 30. More than 300 departments throughout the state will take part in the crackdown, which involves adding extra enforcement on the roads to spot drivers who aren’t wearing their seat belt.
Donna Berger, Director of Traffic Safety for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said that the goal of the crackdown is to get people to buckle up and to understand the risks they are taking when they remain unbelted.
“Almost 40 percent of the people that die on Minnesota roads are not buckled in their seat belt, and that’s why this is so important,” said Berger. “If we could get that last group to just buckle up we would save so many lives on the road.”
Vast Majority Buckle Up
The vast majority of drivers in Minnesota buckle up behind the wheel, according to statistics from the DPS. Berger said the state boasts a 93 percent compliance for front seat occupants, but she noted that men are six percent more likely to forgo the seat belt than women. She also said that pickup owners and drivers in rural area are less likely to buckle up than the average driver.
A ticket for failure to wear a seat belt is only $25 in Minnesota, so some people choose to take the risk, but odds are they don’t know that the $25 only represents the base fine. Minnesota tacks on numerous additional charges, including court costs and surcharges which can push the total fine to well over $100, so it’s not as cheap as you might think.
So if you’re going to be driving around anytime soon, be sure to buckle up, and if you end up with a ticket that you’d like to contest, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office at (952) 224-2277.