As of Tuesday morning, officers across Minnesota will be able to pull over and ticket drivers who are not wearing a seat belt.
Until now, officers could only ticket drivers for that offense if they pulled them over for something else.
The Wresh family of Champlin is thankful for the new law.
Nick Wresh and a friend were driving toward Highway 10 in Becker last July when Wresh apparently fell asleep and missed a curve in the road. His car hit the railroad tracks, flipped upside down and traveled about 100 feet.
Wresh was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected out of the driver's side window. His friend, who was also not wearing a sea tbelt, survived but suffered serious injuries.
Wresh died at the scene. He was 20-years-old and preparing to enlist in the U.S. Army.
"Every day's a battle," says Janina Wresh, Nick's mother. "It's as if your heart's getting ripped out day after day. It's wanting to see him drive home, always wondering what he would be when he grew up."
Statistics show that 13 percent of Minnesotans still don't buckle up. Wresh's untimely death has prompted his family to speak out so they can reach drivers who don't buckle up.
"You want to keep your family and loved ones close and alive so that you're able to spend your life with them and enjoy moments to come," Janina Wresh says.
The state's Department of Public Safety says about 200 unbelted Minnesotans die each year.
Now that Minnesota has become the 28th state with a primary seat belt law, the Wreshes hope the number of deaths will drop. And they're confident Nick would approve of their efforts.
"If this is the journey he needed to take for us to express our sympathy for losing him and having others heed the warning of wearing their seat belts, I think he shines down on us for that," Janina Wresh says.
The fine for a seat belt violation is $25, but with surcharges, the total can top $100. Officers can also fine drivers for unbuckled passengers under age 15. Unbuckled passengers who are 15 and older can get fines too.
Experts say the new law could save about 30 lives a year in Minnesota.
Some oppose the law and think the choice to wear a seat belt should be left to each person. Some lawmakers also fear the new law will lead to racial profiling.
(Copyright 2009 by KARE 11. All Rights Reserved.)
