Motorists hitting the road at the start of summer season should heed this warning: Click it or ticket. The Kimball Police Department will participate in Minnesota’s colossal seat belt enforcement campaign, the Safe & Sober May Mobilization, May 24-June 6. The statewide effort aims to boost seat belt use through committed patrols of more than 430 law enforcement agencies and the State Patrol. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) will coordinate the event. In November, a similar campaign resulted in more than 7,000 seat belt citations. The enforcement effort will be supported by a statewide $350,000 paid media campaign. “It doesn’t matter if you’re driving to the corner market or across the state,” said Chief Todd Rohloff. “Don’t begin your trip until you are belted in.” In Minnesota between 1998 and 2002, 2,572 people died in traffic crashes and more than half of them were not wearing seat belts. During the same period in Stearns County, 73 people died, and 47 of them were unbelted. The economic impact of unbelted deaths and injuries in Stearns County is a cost of $14,420,700. “If your seat belt isn’t buckled, we’ll detour your route to the shoulder of the road,” said Rohloff. “It’s simple: Buckle up. Seat belts save lives.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) aims to increase seat belt use by calling on each state to execute this mobilization. The Safe & Sober campaign is funded by NHTSA and administered by OTS. The program is designed to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
