MN - Seat-belt enforcement effort begins today

Seat-belt enforcement effort begins today


by Dan Olson, Minnesota Public Radio
May 18, 2009
St. Paul, Minn. — There'll be more traffic stops than usual throughout the Twin Cities this afternoon as police carry out a saturation patrol. Apple Valley sargeant Nick Francis said the goal is to increase seat belt use.
It's part of a "Click It or Ticket" enforcement effort throughout the Midwest and the nation.
Minnesota law doesn't allow officers to stop drivers for not wearing a belt, so Francis said officers will look for other violations, including speeding and violating other traffic laws.
"We saturate a larger number of officers into an area to try make a visibility impact on people," Francis said. "Let's say they start their day driving through Dakota county and they see many officers are out conducting traffic enforcement...We're hoping that what they see in Dakota county carries over into their driving habits and helps them drive a little bit safer as they travel the rest of the day."
The Dakota county saturation patrol will be done by the Chiefs from every city in Dakota County, the Dakota County Sheriff, and chief of the Minnesota State Patrol.
"Click It or Ticket" extends through the Memorial Day holiday and wraps up May 31.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)