Number of unbelted motorists kills in crashes increases

Buckling up is a two-second step that helps parents come home to their kids, teenagers graduate and pursue their dreams, and families avoid the heartache of losing a loved one in a crash.
Too many Minnesotans skipped that step the last two years, and the consequences are permanent and tragic. The number of people killed by not wearing a seat belt rose in 2021 for the second year in a row.
The Click It or Ticket statewide seat belt campaign May 23 through June 5 aims to stop the preventable loss to families across Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety coordinates the extra patrols with Troopers, deputies and officers with funding by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“When a life is lost because of no seat belt, it’s very discouraging because it so easily could have been prevented,” said Mike Hanson, Office of Traffic Safety director.
“When you’re heading out, please make the wise, caring choice to wear your seat belt and refuse to put the vehicle in drive until passengers buckle up as well. Drive smart and live.”
 
Growing tragedy
Preliminary counts from the Office of Traffic Safety show 108 unbelted motorists died on Minnesota roads in 2021, up three from 2020 when 105 died.
This is 48 percent higher than the 73 unbelted deaths in 2019 and the highest number since 2014.
Last year saw the highest number of unbelted fatalities (38) of 25-39-year-olds since 2012 (36). 2020 was not far behind, with 31 unbelted deaths in that age category.
Seventy-seven percent of unbelted fatalities in 2021 occurred in greater Minnesota, outside the seven-county metro area.
 
Car seats save lives
Children rely on adults for proper car seat use.
In Minnesota crashes from 2017 – 2021, of the 14,692 children ages 0-7 who were properly restrained, 88 percent were not injured, while another 9 percent sustained only minor injuries.
Twenty-one children ages 0-7 were killed in motor vehicles from 2017-2021, and of those, only 38 percent were known to be properly secured.
Of the 88 children (ages 0-7) seriously injured in motor vehicles, only 49 percent were known to be properly secured.
In Minnesota, all children must be in a child safety seat until they are 4' 9" tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
 
The law is for safety
Minnesota law states that drivers and passengers in all seating positions must wear seat belts or be in the correct child restraint.
Belts should be tight across the hips or thighs and should never be tucked under the arm or behind the back.