A state- and nation-wide seat belt enforcement sweep, “Click It or Ticket”, starts today, May 19 and will end June 1.

The campaign starts following a rash of deadly crashes within the past month that resulted in 22 car-accident deaths, 15 were not wearing seat belts.

From 2004 to 2006, in Scott County, there were 30 deaths as a result of car accidents, half were not wearing seat belts. In the same time frame, the state saw 1,274 total vehicle-occupant fatalities and 658 were unbelted.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) estimated half would have survived if they had been belted. Cheri Marti, DPS director of the Office of Traffic Safety said the chances of surviving a crash are cut in half when a motorist is not buckled up.

“Recent fatal crashes demonstrated the harsh reality when motorists don’t buckle up,” she said. “The violence these motorists experienced is a grim reminder that a seat belt is your best defense in the event of a crash.” 

Of the 15 unbelted motorist fatalities in the last month, seven were ejected.Another focus of the campaign will be teens, the group with the lowest seat-belt use rate. From 2004 to 2006 in Minnesota, 176 motorists from 16 to 19 years old were killed and 98, or 56 percent, were unbelted. Scott County had three teens die in car crashes in the two-year time frame, only one was wearing a seat belt.Additionally, the enforcement effort will include special nighttime patrols. DPS 2004 to 2006 data reports there were 306 vehicle-occupant traffic deaths during the night-time hours of 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. and 66 percent were not wearing seat belts. “Enforcing seat belt use is a priority for law enforcement because we have witnessed the results of fatal crashes far too many times,” says Col. Mark Dunaski, chief of the State Patrol. “We would rather meet you on the shoulder of the road now so we don’t have to meet you at a violent-crash scene later.”

The enforcement effort covers the Memorial Day weekend, historically a high-traffic holiday and the lead-in to the summer driving season — the deadliest period on Minnesota roads.

DPS will coordinate the enhanced-enforcement patrols among more than 400 agencies from May 19 to June 1. A similar enforcement effort in May 2007 resulted in nearly 8,500 seat belt citations. A seat belt citation is $25 but can cost as much as $115 with administrative fees.