Crashes happen in an instant and often without warning. An impaired driver swerves into oncoming traffic. A poorly secured trailer breaks free and sideswipes another vehicle. Fog or rain sends a car off the road. There are so many possibilities drivers cannot plan for, but they can wear a seat belt to increase their chances of surviving the unexpected. 

To encourage seat belt use and stop preventable deaths and injuries, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is coordinating a Click It or Ticket enforcement and awareness campaign from May 11 through May 31.

“No one plans to get into a crash, but it happens, and seat belts have saved many lives,” said Mike Hanson, the director of OTS. “It takes so little time to buckle up, the seat belt is your first line of defense. All of your vehicles safety systems directly depend on having everyone being properly restrained.”

Hanson is urging drivers and passengers alike to wear a seat belt and to make sure children are properly secured in the correct car seat.

Buckle up: It can save a life

Although Minnesota continues to have high seat belt use rate, unbelted occupants still represent a large portion of traffic deaths. According to the 2025 observational seat belt survey, 95.2 percent of people on Minnesota roads wear a seat belt. Preliminary data shows 363 people died on Minnesota roads in 2025. Of those, 68 people were not wearing seat belts. That represents nearly 20 percent of all fatal crashes in the state.

Buckle up: It’s the law

The law requires drivers and passengers to wear seat belts and law enforcement can stop and ticket drivers and passengers for failing to buckle up. Seat belts should be worn tight and across the hips or thighs. Belts should never be tucked under the arm or behind the back.

Updated in 2024, Minnesota’s child passenger safety law also outlines requirements for car seats, booster seats and seat belts based on the child’s age, height and weight. Children should remain in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible and until they reach the height and weight limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer.

After outgrowing a rear-facing seat, children should use a forward-facing car seat with a harness before transitioning to a booster seat. Children must remain in a booster seat until they are 9 years old or until they have outgrown the booster seat and pass the five-step test. Children under 13 should ride in the backseat whenever possible. 

Resources

Additional seat belt and passenger safety information is available online:

• BuckleUpMN.org has seat belt information for employers and educators.
• DriveSmartMN.org has summaries of Minnesota law and passenger safety advice.
• Visit BuckleUpKids.dps.mn.gov for specific information on child passenger safety.