It didn't take long for a Rogers police officer to find someone driving dangerously during the recent Click It or Ticket campaign coordinated by our Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The officer was on duty for all of three minutes when they pulled over a driver for not wearing a seat belt. The driver was arrested for driving under the influence.

Thankfully, the officer was there to stop drivers like this and prevent a devastating crash.

Officers, deputies and troopers issued 2,382 seat belt citations from May 22 to June 4. OTS brought together 286 law enforcement agencies in Minnesota for the campaign, which included enforcement, education and awareness efforts to get Minnesota drivers to drive smart.

“Most Minnesotans don't give buckling up a second thought because it's such a simple way to stay safe," said OTS Director Mike Hanson. “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."

Buckling up saves lives. The 2022 Minnesota observational seat belt survey showed 93 percent 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. And we've lost many more than just one.

Through June 18, the 29 unbelted fatalities compare with 35 last year at this time, 43 in 2021 and 32 in 2020.

Officers, deputies and troopers also issued 130 citations for improper child restraint during the most recent campaign. Minnesota law requires children to be in a child restraint until they are 4 feet, 9 inches tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first. The consequences of not buckling in your children can be dire.

 In Minnesota crashes from 2018-2022, preliminary figures show:

• Of the 13,705 children ages 0-7 who were properly restrained, 88 percent were not injured, while another 9 percent sustained only minor injuries.
• Twenty-three children ages 0-7 were killed in motor vehicles, and of those, only nine were known to be properly secured.
• Of the 79 children (ages 0-7) seriously injured in motor vehicles, only 48 percent were known to be properly secured.

While this spring's campaign has come to an end, OTS is asking you to take those good driving habits into the rest of the year.

The driver drifting in your lane, the person cutting you off or the one who is tail-gating you: Any of them can cause a crash. Wearing your seat belt helps protect you from unsafe drivers and road hazards.

 Learn more at DriveSmartMN.org and BuckleUpKids.dps.mn.gov.