Another reminder to buckle-up as a busy summer driving season continues.
Police issued over 2,300 seat belt citations during the latest "Click It or Ticket Campaign" that ran from May 22 through June 4.
Mike Hanson is the director of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety and he says 93% of Minnesotans are doing the right thing by buckling up.
"The fact that we still have that seven or or six percent that don't, that is still concerning to me," Hanson explained. "Because we've kind of been stuck at that level for the last several years. Even though that's only six or seven percent of the motor vehicle occupants out there, that's still 30% of our fatalities."
In total law enforcement cited 2,382 motorists for seat belt violations and issued 130 child seat citations.
"When I look at these numbers from this weekend, what also concerns me is the level of unbuckled kids that our law enforcement partners are starting to see out there," Hanson said. "That is really concerning because that is our most precious cargo and really need the extra protection those car seats provide."
Hanson says even if the number of people who simply won't buckle up is low, it is still dangerous.
"There are some folks who seem to think, you know, that it's a civil liberty, that it's a choice they get to make, and I get that part of it," explains Hanson. "But I would challenge all of them, ask your loved ones. Do they want to see you come home at the end of the day, safe and sound?"
Unbelted fatalities are down in Minnesota this year with 24 as of June 11. That is compared to 34 at this time last year.
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