It takes two seconds to buckle your seat belt when you get in a vehicle, but nearly 2,000 Minnesotans opted not to buckle up during the most recent seat belt crackdown, and they earned a citation because of it.
According to data from the most recent Click It or Ticket campaign, officers from 272 agencies across the state issued 1,922 seat belt citations and 108 child restraint citations during the crackdown, which ran from May 20 through June 2. Despite the fact that nearly 2,000 seat belt citations were issued during this campaign, the number suggests that more people got the message to buckle up this year, as the total number of citations handed out pales in comparison to the 2,382 citations and 130 child seat citations given in 2023.
“Enforcing the seat belt law is not about writing tickets — it’s about saving lives,” said Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) Director Mike Hanson, “If any of the more than 1,900 people cited had been in a crash, they may not be here today. It’s easy, it’s smart and it’s the law. Wear your seat belt and get home safe.”
Citation Notes And Data
Here’s a closer look at some of the citation data and notable incidents during the most recent crackdown:
- A Hastings woman was cited for driving while wearing her infant in a chest baby carrier.
- A driver in Douglas County earned a DWI after police stopped the driver and their passengers for driving while unbelted.
- “If I’m meant to die, I’ll die,” replied an unbelted motorist in Minnetonka, when asked by a trooper why he wasn’t wearing a seat belt.
- In the Twin Cities metro area, the west metro region of the Minnesota State Patrol led the way with 178 citations, followed by the St. Paul Police Department (170), the east metro region of the Minnesota State Patrol (88) and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office (45).
- In the greater Minnesota area, the agencies with the most citations were all arms of the Minnesota State Patrol, with the Virginia region topping the list with 160 citations, followed by Rochester (116), St. Cloud (113) and Duluth (86).
As we’ve discussed in the past, a seat belt citation is only $25 on the surface, but when court and administrative fees are factored in, the total cost of the citation can exceed $100. That’s not nothing, and it’s much easier to just take the extra two seconds to buckle up, keep yourself safe and protect your finances. We’re here to help in any way we can after a traffic citation or arrest, but buckling up is clearly the best defense against a seat belt citation.
For help with a criminal matter of your own, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
