Over 2,500 citations during recent Click It or Ticket campaign

More than 2,500 citations were handed out during the statewide Click It or Ticket campaign that ended earlier this month.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) says a total of 286 law enforcement agencies participated in the statewide campaign, which ran from May 22 through June 4.

During that time, authorities handed out 2,382 seat belt citations and 130 child seat citations. Compared to the campaign that ran during the same time last year, that’s a 32% increase in seat belt citations and nearly twice as many child seat citations.

“Most Minnesotans don’t give buckling up a second thought because it’s such a simple way to stay safe,” Mike Hanson, director of the DPS’s Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), said. “If you don’t like seat belts, ask your loved ones if they hope you get home alive. Think about their lives without you and make the smart choice to be there for them.”

While the number of citations from the safety effort rose this year, DPS says the good news is unbelted traffic fatalities in the state are down so far this year.

Through June 11, 24 people who weren’t buckled in have died in Minnesota, according to DPS. At the same time last year, 34 unbelted motorists died and 41 died in the same time period in 2021.

DPS reminds Minnesotans that state law requires all drivers and passengers to wear seat belts or be in the correct child restraint. Children under 4-foot-9 or 8 years of age should also be in a child safety seat until reaching one of those benchmarks.

More information on car seat safety is available online.