Seatbelt Safety: Rollover Demonstration

Law enforcement agencies are launching the state's largest seatbelt campaign in history.  Officers are not only writing tickets-- they're also giving a heavy does of reality.  FOX 9's Jody Ambroz shows us how they're getting the message out.

Haunting images of mangled cars and debris are all too familiar.  Two people not wearing their seatbelts died in a rollover crash on 694 earlier this week.  It's a grim reminder of the importance of buckling-up.

"Some people think it might be uncomfortable, nobody's going to tell them what to do, or they're not going to crash" said Chief Deputy Bruce Bechtold.

Today officers set up a demonstration at a grocery store parking lot in Waite Park.  Using a car model and dummies, they show shoppers what happens to people who aren't wearing seatbelts during a rollover crash.

“The bodies start bouncing around inside the passenger compartment and eventually they come out and land on the ground."

The children are ejected as soon as the car model rolls over.  Their parents are eventually thrown from the car, too.

We hear the message over and over again, seatbelts save lives.  But more than half of the people killed in car crashes in Minnesota were not buckled up.

Now, officers across the state are kicking off a large "Click-It or Ticket" campaign to encourage seat belt use by writing tickets.

Here in Stearns County, the demonstration is getting parents’ attention.

"Just knowing all the kids need to be strapped in, no matter what, no matter how short the distance. Need to be in seatbelts" said Nancy Frank.

Even the young catch on quickly.

“Why does Mommy make you wear a seatbelt?  Because we don't want to fall out."

Now everyone in this family understands that seat belts will help them stay safe.