Richfield Public Safety: 200 Seatbelt Citations Written During 'Click It or Ticket' Campaign

Editor's Note: All the following information was taken from a press release.

During the statewide , Richfield Public Safety officers issued 200 seatbelt and 6 child restraint citations from May 23 to June 5, 2011. A seatbelt fine is $25 but can cost more than $103 with court and administrative fees.

During the campaign, officers enforced the state’s primary seatbelt law that requires passengers in all seating positions, including the back seat, to be buckled up or seated in the correct child restraint. Law enforcement officers will stop and ticket unbelted drivers or passengers.

Nearly 400 law enforcement agencies statewide participated in the federally funded enforcement effort aimed at increasing seatbelt and child restraint use among motorists. Each year in Minnesota, motorists ages 15–29 account for 45 percent of all unbelted deaths and 55 percent of all unbelted serious injuries—yet this group represents only 25 percent of all licensed drivers. During 2007–2009 in Hennepin county 38 unbelted motorists were killed and 90 were seriously injured.

“Enforcing seatbelt use is not just the job of law enforcement—it’s up to every motorist to speak up and tell your passengers to belt up,” said Richfield Public Safety Sgt. Matt Steen. “Unbelted motorists are not just endangering themselves. In a crash, an unbelted passenger can slam into and injure or kill others in the vehicle.”

The campaign also included enforcement of Minnesota’s strengthened child passenger safety law that requires children to be in the correct restraint until they are age eight and 4 feet 9 inches tall. This law requires booster seats for children usually starting at age four to ensure adult seatbelts fit them correctly.

Special nighttime belt patrols conducted during the campaign resulted in 114 citations. Richfield Public Safety focused on nighttime patrols to combat the disproportionate number of unbelted traffic deaths during nighttime hours.