Nearly 3,300 citations were given out during the latest law enforcement Click It or Ticket campaign.
The campaign ran from July 1 to August 19.
Lauren Bjork is Safety Public Information Program Manager for the North Dakota Department of Transportation. She says law enforcement agencies worked overtime to issue 3,283 citations. Of those, 1,241 citations were for failing to wear a seat belt. Another 34 citations were issued for improper child restraint.
Bjork says North Dakota typically has higher rates of compliance for seat belt use, but also says some people just don’t want to wear them. But she also says a majority of roadway fatalities this year were of those who were unbuckled.
"Right now our fatalities are trending very high for 2021. We have 74 fatalities so far this year, compared to 63 in 2020. So we really want people to be wearing that seat belt; nearly 56 percent of our fatal crashes, people were not wearing their seat belt. It's something you can do every time you get behind the wheel.
Bjork also says 1,325 speeding tickets were given out, as well as 21 drug arrests, 22 citations for distracted driving, and 289 overall traffic stops.
Bjork says Click It or Ticket enforcement campaigns help to reinforce the importance of wearing seat belts, not driving impaired or distracted, and the importance of taking personal responsibility when behind the wheel.