Crime & Safety

Burnsville Police Issue 50 Tickets in Seat Belt Campaign

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's "Click it or Ticket" campaign cited 10,342 motorists between May 20 and June 2.

Burnsville police issued 50 tickets for not wearing a seat belt in a motor vehicle during a two-week, statewide Department of Public Safety (DPS) campaign that ended June 2.

The Dakota County Sheriff's Office issued an additional 54 citations.

Citations were given to more than 10,342 motorists across the state in the campaign, including 256 for violations of child safety laws.

“With drunk, distracted and aggressive drivers on the road, everyone in the vehicle needs to be buckled up,” Donna Berger, director of the DPS traffic safety office, said in a statement. “The Click It or Ticket campaign encourages motorists to make safe, smart decisions to prevent deaths and injuries.”

Here are some figures provided by the DPS about the risks of driving without a seat belt:

  • There are around 120 unbelted traffic deaths each year in Minnesota.
  • In the last three years in Minnesota (2010–12), there were 852 vehicle occupant traffic deaths, of which 361 (42 percent) were not buckled up.
  • Of the unbelted deaths, 84 percent were in Greater Minnesota and 42 percent were motorists ages 16–29.
This year's seat belt campaign caught fewer people than the department's 2012 effort, which cited 12,639 motorists.





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