As of June 15, a ticket can be issued to anyone older than 15 who is not wearing a seat belt. Drivers can be cited for having in their car anyone younger than 15 who is not buckled up.
A new Minnesota law makes failure to use a seat belt a primary offense. Thatmeans officers can pull over vehicles if anyone inside isn’t buckled up. Minnesota is the 29th state to pass a primary seat belt law.
The law used to say police had to have another reason to pull over a vehicle. Once stopped, they could write tickets for drivers, front-seat passengers and back seat riders ages 3 to 11 who were not wearing seat belts.
Thefinefor not wearing a seat belt is $25, but the cost of a ticket can exceed $100 when fees are included.
Between 2005 and 2007, there were 149 traffic deaths in central Minnesota in which the victim wasn’t wearing a seat belt. There were 262 people seriously injured who were not wearing a seat belt. The economic impact of those crashes was $188 million.
Also, beginning July 1, all children ages 7 and under will have to ride in a federally approved car seat or booster seat. Taller children, those 4’9″ or taller, are exempted from the law. Children under one-year old have to use a rear-facing car seat.
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