Minnesota Officials Reminding Motorists 'Click It Or Ticket'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Department of Public Safety is bumping up patrols during its "Click It or Ticket" campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of not wearing a seat belt.

"Almost 40 percent of the people that die on Minnesota roads are not buckled in their seat belt, and that's why this is so important," Traffic Safety Director Donna Berger said. "If we could get that last group to just buckle up we would save so many lives on the road."

Berger says more than 300 law enforcement agencies are working on the campaign that kicks off Friday and runs through Oct. 30.

She says the state has a 93 percent compliance for front seat occupants but says men are 6 percent more likely to not be wearing their seat belts than women.

Also more likely to not buckle up: pickup owners and drivers in rural areas.