Minnesota Department of Public Safety
Increased seat belt patrols are rolling on state roads now, so buckle up — unbelted drivers and passengers, including in the back seat, can be ticketed. And watch this other reason to fasten your seat belt: If you're in a crash at 60 mph, and you're not buckled up, it's like falling from 12 stories high.
Unbelted motorists have represented a significant amount of Minnesota’s traffic fatalities during 2009–2011 — with teens and young adults, and motorist in Greater Minnesota, as the main victims:
- There were 878 motorist traffic deaths of which 377 (43 percent) were not buckled up.
- Of the 377 unbelted deaths, 179 (48 percent) of the victims were age 30 or younger.
- Of the 377 unbelted deaths, 300 (80 percent) occurred outside the seven-county Twin Cities’ area.
