Safe & Sober campaign in gear May 19-June 1
Posted 5/22/03

With the onset of Memorial Day weekend, the Minnesota Safe & Sober program is getting its campaign in gear.

The St. Cloud Police Department held a press conference Thursday, May 15 to help law enforcement and citizens prepare for a safe holiday weekend.

St. Cloud Police Sergeant Jim Mortinson, along with representatives from the Minnesota State Patrol, the Stearns County Attorneyıs Office, Gold Cross Ambulance, and Benson Funeral Home, addressed the media and law enforcement.

Mortinson said 350 law enforcement agencies will be working additional shifts during the Safe & Sober campaign.

The main focus of the May mobilization, which runs from May 19 through June 1, is seat belts. ³Click it or ticket² is the latest slogan in getting motorists to properly use seat belts.

Tom Janski, a Gold Cross paramedic, spoke of a typical day responding to crash scenes. He cited very minor injuries are seen when motorists and passengers are buckled up.

³I canıt emphasize enough the importance of a seat belt,² Janski said.

Funeral director Ray Benson addressed the emotional impact on families when a family member dies in a car accident.

³It has a devastating effect on a family when a teen is killed in an accident,² Benson said.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety reports that of people severely injured in accidents in 2002, seat belt use was lowest among victims ages 15-24.

Benson said that accidents happen all the time, but seat belt use has really changed the safety factor.

Minnesota still does not have a primary seat belt law, which means an officer must stop a vehicle for a moving violation before a ticket can be issued for not wearing a seat belt.

Mortinson was asked why he thought the legislature hasnıt made it a primary law yet - knowing seat belts save lives.

He replied, ³I canıt figure it out. If I could have one law that could be passed, it would be the seat belt law.²

Mortinson said of the public, ³Weıve got to get them educated. If we canıt get them to do it...then enforcement is our next step.²