Increased Seat Belt Enforcement Through Oct. 25

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Starting this weekend and continuing until the end of the month, there'll be extra seat belt enforcement on Minnesota roads.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says more than 300 law enforcement agencies will participate in the effort to get more Minnesota drivers to buckle up and follow the state's seat belt laws.

The increased enforcement starts Friday and is slated to run until Oct. 25.

While a state survey shows that seat belt compliance for front seat occupants is around 90 percent, officials say one demographic could buckle up more: men.

DPS data shows that while seat belt usage by men is above 90 percent, it still lags behind that of women. As such, officials want drivers to know that there's nothing macho about not wearing a seat belt.

State statistics show that 54 percent of men killed in the first six months of this year were not wearing a seat belt.

Donna Berger, the director of the Office of Traffic Safety, says that not wearing a seat belt increases the changes motorists will be thrown from a vehicle in the event of a crash.

"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," she said. "These violent deaths are preventable with one simple click."