PROTECT YOURSELF FROM DANGEROUS DRIVERS BY BUCKLING UP
Click It or Ticket: Extra Enforcement in Northfield and Rice County, MN May 23 – June 5
Northfield/Rice County MN. – Three seconds — that’s all it takes to put on a seat belt. For 91 motorists in 2015, not taking those three seconds cost them their lives. Wearing your seat belt is not optional, it’s the law.
To continue enforcing the law and reminding motorists that seat belts save lives, the Northfield, Faribault, and Dundas Police Departments, Rice County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minnesota State Patrol, along with more than 300 law enforcement agencies across the state, will be participating in the statewide Click It or Ticket campaign May 23 – June 5. The extra enforcement and education campaign is coordinated by the Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety.
Protect Yourself from Dangerous Drivers
Even the safest drivers in the world are not immune from others causing them to crash, and not wearing a seat belt can prove tragic.
In the last five years (2011 – 2015), 527 unbelted motorists lost their lives and 1,035 people suffered life-changing injuries.
Of the 1,379 motorists who lost their lives in the last five years (2011 – 2015), only 51 percent of them were known to be belted.
In 2015, 77 percent of vehicle occupants who were ejected or partially ejected and died were not wearing a seat belt.
“If you are involved in a crash and are thrown from the vehicle, the likelihood of survival is slim,” said Sergeant Kevin Tussing. “Protect yourself from dangerous drivers on the road by wearing your seat belt. It could save Speak Up about Buckling Up
If you are the driver, take control of your vehicle and those riding with you by refusing to start your engine until every passenger in your car is belted. If you are a passenger and see the driver unbelted, speak up and make sure the driver’s seat belt is secure. In the event of a crash, a person not wearing a belt can become a projectile who can possibly injure other belted motorists.
It’s the Law
Minnesota law states that drivers and passengers in all seating positions must be buckled up or seated in the correct child restraint. Officers will stop and ticket unbelted drivers or passengers. Seat belts must be worn correctly — low and snug across the hips, and shoulder straps should never be tucked under an arm or behind the back.
Minnesota Child Car Seat Law and Steps
In Minnesota, all children must be in a child restraint until they are 4’9” tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
Rear-facing child seats – Newborns to at least 1 year and 20 pounds; recommended up to age 2. It is safest to keep a child rear-facing as long as possible.
Forward-facing seats – Age 2 until around age 4. It's preferable to keep children in a harnessed restraint until they reach the maximum weight limit.
Booster seats – Use after outgrowing a forward-facing harnessed restraint; safest to remain in a booster until 4 feet 9 inches tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
Seat belts – Use when children can sit with their back against the vehicle seat and have their knees bent comfortably over the edge with their feet touching the floor.
Toward Zero Deaths
The Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement and education is a component of the state’s Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) program. A primary vision of the TZD program is to create a safe driving culture in Minnesota in which motorists support a goal of zero road fatalities by practicing and promoting safe and smart driving behavior.
TZD focuses on the application of four strategic areas to reduce crashes – education, enforcement, engineering and emergency trauma response.
