Extra police details in the city of Forest Lake will target driving behavior and seat belt use. And, as part of a statewide campaign to improve seat belt awareness and use, officers here will be writing tickets for non-use.

Police Sgt. Ron Hanegraaf said officers will work extra details from Monday, May 23 through Sunday, June 5. The focus will be on speeding, lane use and signal light violations, Hanegraaf said.

The extra patrols will involve several Forest Lake officers assigned to specific locations within the city for specific times. Grant money provided to the Washington County Sheriffís Office and shared with the city will be used to cover costs for extra shifts, Hanegraaf said.

The sergeant said the saturation patrols will cover these key intersections: US-61 (Lake Street) and Broadway, SW 12th St. and W. Broadway Ave., SW 3rd Ave. and SW 12th St., US-61 and 11th Ave., TH-97 and US-61, and TH-97 and Goodview Avenue at Forest Lake High School.

Hanegraaf said officers will use the saturation to drive home the importance of wearing seat belts. In 2004, he said, of the 462 traffic fatalities in the state, 240 of those killed, or more than half of the total, were unbelted. Nearly one-third of the 240 people killed in vehicle crashes last year were ejected from the vehicle.

In Washington County last year, 10 people were killed in vehicle crashes. Of the 10 people killed, four were unbelted.

It is now estimated 82 percent of state motorists comply with the stateís seat belt law. According to Office of Traffic Safety estimates, increasing the belt use rate to 85 percent could save 51 lives, prevent nearly 1000 injuries and save $88 million annually.

Hanegraaf said the saturation patrols will achieve two goals by targeting driving behavior and reinforcing seat belt use.

The stateís seat belt law is considered secondary in nature. Under state law, an officer can only enforce the seat belt law if the officer witnesses another moving violation first.

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Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605