Area law enforcement officers will conduct intense Click It or Ticket seat belt patrols to increase seat belt use and stop preventable traffic deaths in October. The enforcement campaign includes around 400 Minnesota agencies and is coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.

According to Albert Lea Police Lt. J.D. Carlson, a seat belt is a motorist’s best defense in case of a crash. He noted that in rollover crashes, unbelted motorists are usually ejected from the vehicle. In most cases, the vehicle will rollover on them.

In less severe crashes, unbelted motorists will crack teeth out on steering wheels or break their nose, and even slam into and injure others in the vehicle.

During the last three years in Minnesota, more than 1,000 motorists were killed in crashes and only 43 percent were buckled up. During this same time period in Freeborn County, 20 motorists were killed in traffic crashes, seven of who were not belted. Another five unbelted motorists were seriously injured.

“The focus of this campaign is to prevent these traffic tragedies that are still far too common,” Carlson said. “This campaign is not about writing tickets. We are calling on motorists to be the first line of enforcing the law by speaking up and insisting all passengers are belted.”

Local law enforcement officers will direct patrols to enforce the state’s primary seat belt law during the effort, which allows law enforcement to stop motorists directly for belt violations. The primary law requires passengers in all seating positions, including the back seat, to be buckled up or seated in the correct child restraint. A seat belt fine is $25 but can cost more than $100 with court and administrative fees.

The primary law has helped the state achieve a record-high daytime seat belt compliance rate of 90 percent. In a recent pre-enforcement seat belt observational survey in Albert Lea, 94 percent motorists were belted. The Albert Lea Police Department will conduct another survey following the enforcement to measure belt use.

The campaign will also include enforcement of Minnesota’s strengthened child passenger safety law that requires children to be in the correct restraint until they are age 8 and 4 feet 9 inches tall. This law requires booster seats for kids usually starting at age 4 to ensure adult seat belts fit them correctly.

Belt use is especially an issue in Greater Minnesota communities. Annually, nearly 80 percent of unbelted traffic deaths occur on Greater Minnesota roads.

Law enforcement agencies are stressing belt use belt use especially among teens and young adults, the groups with the lowest seat belt use rates. Statewide each year, motorists age 15-29 account for 45 percent of all unbelted deaths, yet this group represents only 25 percent of licensed drivers. This same age group accounts for 55 percent of all unbelted serious injuries — 70 percent occur in Greater Minnesota.

The enforcement effort will also include a nighttime seat belt enforcement focus.

The campaign is a component of the state’s Toward Zero Death initiative. Toward Zero Death is the state’s core traffic safety program that uses a multidisciplinary approach to address traffic issues regionally through enforcement, education, engineering and emergency trauma care. The goal is 400 or fewer road deaths by 2010.