CLICK IT OR TICKET MAY SEAT BELT MOBILIZATION: PRE-ENFORCEMENT NEWS RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE

EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, OCT. 5, 2015CONTACT:

PHONE:

SPEAK UP ABOUT bUCKLING UP: EXTRA SEAT BELT ENFORCEMENT ON [YOUR CITY/REGION] ROADS Oct. 9 – 25

Just A Click Away From Preventing Your Death

[YOUR CITY/COUNTY] – Not wearing a seat belt was a deadly choice for the half of the people killed in car crashes in Minnesota during the first six months of 2015,. Of those people who died in crashes from January through June, 50 percent were not wearing a seat belt, according to preliminary data.

To continue educating motorists that seat belts save lives, [YOUR AGENCY], along with more than 300 law enforcement agencies across the state, will be participating in the statewide Click It or Ticket campaign Oct. 9 - 25.

Nothing Macho about an Unbelted Motorist

Men lead the way when choosing not to buckle up.

  • Fifty-four percent of men killed in the first six months of 2015 were unbelted, compared with 40 percent of woman, according to preliminary figures.
  • Preliminary numbers show 48 percent of men seriously injured in a car crash from June through July were unbelted, while 26 percent of women failed to buckle up.
  • Of the 183 men killed in 2014 car crashes, 89 were not buckled.
  • Of the 95 women who died in 2014 car crashes, 33 were not belted.

“The first line of defense in a crash is your seat belt,” said [SPOKESPERSON]. “Those not buckled up during a crash can be tossed around like a ping pong ball, thrown from the vehicle into oncoming traffic or even risk their own car rolling over them. These violent deaths are preventable with one simple click.”

Join the Crowd by Buckling Up

More Minnesotans than ever are getting the message that belts save lives. Minnesota’s 2015 seat belt survey shows 94 percent compliance when it comes to wearing a seat belt, compared with 87 percent nationally according to the 2013 National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS).\

Seat Belt Realities

In 2014, 44 percent of motorists who died statewide were not buckled up, compared with 58 percent in 2005. When comparing to the lives lost those years, 440 motor vehicle occupants died in 2005 in Minnesota traffic crashes compared with 278 in 2014, a 37 percent decrease. People includes non-motorists, such as bicyclists and pedestrians.

In [YOUR COUNTY(IES)] in 2014, [INSERT LOCAL PRELIMINARY ###] unbelted motorists were killed and [INSERT LOCAL PRELIMINARY ###] were seriously injured.

It’s The Law

Minnesota law states that drivers and passengers in all seating positions must be buckled up or seated in the correct child restraint. Officers will stop and ticket unbelted drivers or passengers. Seat belts must be worn correctly — low and snug across the hips and shoulder straps should never be tucked under an arm or behind the back.

Minnesota Child Car Seat Law and Steps

  • In Minnesota, all children must be in a child restraint until they are 4’9” tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
  • Rear-facing child seats - Newborns to at least 1 year and 20 pounds; recommended up to age 2. It is safest to keep a child rear-facing as long as possible.
  • Forward-facing seats - Age 2 until around age 4. It's preferable to keep children in a harnessed restraint until they reach the maximum weight limit.
  • Booster seats - Use after outgrowing a forward-facing harnessed restraint; safest to remain in a booster until 4 feet 9 inches tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
  • Seat belts - Use when children can sit with their back against the vehicle seat and have their knees bent comfortably over the edge with their feet touching the floor.

Toward Zero Deaths
The Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement and education is a component of the state’s Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) program. A primary vision of the TZD program is to create a safe driving culture in Minnesota in which motorists support a goal of zero road fatalities by practicing and promoting safe and smart driving behavior. TZD focuses on the application of four strategic areas to reduce crashes – education, enforcement, engineering and emergency trauma response.