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Most Minnesotans buckle up. Those who don’t? They’re putting their lives at risk — and troopers, deputies and officers will be looking for them during the Click It or Ticket campaign Monday through June 4.

“Do you want your loved ones’ gratefulness and peace of mind? Adopt the easy habit of buckling up,” said Mike Hanson, director of Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). “It’s heartbreaking to see a crash where wearing a simple seat belt could have changed the outcome. Take two seconds and do the right thing.”

Buckling up can prevent a tragedy. Last year, 87 people died and 1,244 people were seriously injured after failing to wear a seat belt.

OTS coordinates the enforcement and awareness campaign with funding provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The campaign includes overtime enforcement and advertising across Minnesota in support of the Toward Zero Deaths traffic safety program.

The 2022 Minnesota observational seat belt survey showed 93% compliance for front seat occupants. There are signs of improvement so far this year in unbelted fatalities, but even one life lost in a crash is one too many.

• Through May 14, the 18 unbelted fatalities compare with 25 last year at this time, 35 in 2021 and 25 in 2020.
• Preliminary counts show 87 unbelted motorists died on Minnesota roads in 2022 compared with 110 in 2021 and 105 in 2020.
• The 87 unbelted deaths last year is a 21% reduction from the previous year and slightly higher than pre-pandemic rates.
• 76% of unbelted fatalities in 2022 occurred in greater Minnesota.