'Buckle up for Meghan'
May 23, 2019
Kathy Cooper speaks at a news conference marking 10 years of Minnesota's primary seat belt law. Kathy helped pass the law in 2009, 10 years after her daughter, Meghan, was killed in a crash.
When Kathy Cooper realized her 15-year-old daughter, Meghan, wasn’t wearing her seat belt, she pulled off of Highway 56 and insisted Meghan put it on. It was the spring of 1999, and they were headed to Rochester to shop for prom. Meghan complied, but she wasn’t pleased. “Mom, you’re so dumb. It’s not even the law!”
Sadly, Meghan was right. Weeks later, on June 9, 1999, she was killed when she was ejected from the back seat of a car in a crash. She wasn’t wearing her seat belt. Later that summer, it occurred to Kathy to wonder what the law actually was. She was horrified to learn that there was no seat belt law for anyone above the age of 10 in Minnesota, and you couldn’t be pulled over for not buckling up. She believed that it was Meghan’s way of telling her, “Mom. Fix this.” And so began her decade-long crusade to change it.
Minnesota’s primary seat belt law took effect on the 10th anniversary of Meghan’s death. In the 10 years since, it has saved countless lives. For example, in 2008, the year before the primary seat belt law went into effect, 152 people died as a result of not wearing their seat belts. By 2018, that number dropped to 92. Wearing a seat belt has become a habit for most Minnesotans: In a 2018 observational survey, 92.4 percent of front seat occupants were buckled up.
Not wearing your seat belt puts you at risk of crashing into the windshield or being thrown from the vehicle during a crash. But many people still consider it a victimless crime, which simply isn’t true. Remember that anything that isn’t strapped down in a crash becomes a projectile – even you.
To help drivers and passengers remember to buckle up, law enforcement is conducting the Click It or Ticket campaign through June 2. Deputies, officers and troopers from over 300 law enforcement agencies statewide will be conducting extra enforcement and education.
Always wear your seat belt when you ride in a vehicle, and make sure everyone else does, too. An easy way to do that if you’re the driver is to refuse to start the car until everyone is buckled in. Children must be in a child restraint until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall or 8 years old, whichever comes first.
So the next time you get in a car – and every time after that – think of Meghan and put your seat belt on. “I love Meghan so much. And I miss her every day,” says her mom. “Thank you, Meghan, for giving your life to save so many. Buckle up, Minnesota. Buckle up for Meghan.”
