As more drivers buckle up, seat belt fines are down
As a growing number of Minnesotans buckle up behind the wheel, fewer motorists are getting ticketed for not wearing a seat belt.
The number of seat belt citations issued by Minnesota law enforcement agencies is about half what it was five years ago, according to data from the state court system.
State and local officials agree that’s a positive trend, showing that the message that seat belts save lives has gotten through. But it also means less revenue from fines, which are used to help pay for training for emergency medical responders.
“As we push closer and closer to that 100 percent seat belt use, that’s a good thing,” said Renee Frauendienst, Stearns County public health director. “But then what we see is the correlating decrease in revenues to the region.”
Before Minnesota’s first seat belt law was adopted in 1986, 20 percent of front-seat vehicle occupants wore belts. Since then, the rate has been climbing steadily. A 2014 observational survey put the rate of seat belt use at about 95 percent.
Stronger laws, education and extra enforcement campaigns are likely contributing to more people buckling up, said Donna Berger, director of the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.
One major factor was the 2009 Minnesota law that made not wearing a seat belt a primary offense. That means law enforcement can stop a motorist for not wearing a seat belt even if there are no other offenses. A seat belt ticket is $25 but can cost more than $100 with fees.
In 2010, law enforcement agencies in Minnesota handed out more than 108,700 seat belt tickets, according to data requested by the Times from the state court administrator’s office. Since then, the number has steadily declined. Last year, fewer than 55,000 citations were issued.
As a result, the amount of fines collected fell from almost $6 million in 2010 to about $3.2 million last year, according to state data.
Most of the revenue from seat belt fines is distributed to regional emergency medical services for education, training and equipment.
Stearns County is the fiscal agent for the 12-county Central Minnesota EMS Region, a joint powers board that helps cover the cost of training first responders, firefighters, law enforcement and paramedics.
Each EMS region received about $247,500 from seat belt citations from July 2013 to June 2015, said Marion Larson, EMS coordinator for the Central Minnesota region. That was $56,000 less than the state predicted.
“We are thrilled that people are buckling up and keeping their safety in mind, but it gives us less to work with,” Larson said.
The region hasn’t yet had to cut services, but has had to spend from its reserve fund, she said.
Central Minnesota officials are working on a resolution that would ask the Legislature for other related dollars, such as fines from citations issued for texting while driving.
“We’re saying, can a portion of those dollars go to EMS?” Frauendienst said. “Just as non-seat belt use directly impacts (emergency medical responders), so does texting. They’re the ones who are responding to these accidents.”
Not all law enforcement agencies are seeing a decline in seat belt violations. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office issued 69 citations from January to September this year compared to 41 the same period in 2014, said Lt. Jon Lentz.
“Perhaps we’re bucking the trend,” Lentz said. The county often has special enforcement details concentrating on seat belt use through the Toward Zero Deaths state grant program, he said.
Overall, seat belt use has been rising over the years, Lentz said. He attributed that to more middle-age and older drivers getting in the habit of buckling up, plus younger generations who grew up with seat belts.
“It kind of gets ingrained in them,” he said.
However, lack of seat belt use statewide remains a serious safety concern, Berger said. It’s a contributing factor in about half of all Minnesota traffic fatalities.
Of the 823 people killed in vehicle crashes in Minnesota from 2012-14, 52 percent were known to be wearing seat belts.
“In a perfect world, law enforcement wouldn’t have to write any seat belt tickets,” Berger said.
Follow Kirsti Marohn on Twitter @kirstimarohn or reach her by phone at 255-8746.