SGI is reminding motorists to buckle up, as Saskatchewan police issued 447 tickets for seatbelts and car seats in January.

Three hundred eighty tickets were handed out to drivers in January for not wearing a seatbelt, while 47 passengers were also ticketed. Twenty tickets were issued to drivers for children not restrained in the correct booster or car seat.

The cost for each ticket was $175.

Seatbelt tickets also come with three demerit points, which can lead to additional financial penalties or loss of insurance discounts under the safe driver recognition program.

Wearing a seatbelt significantly increases the chance that you’ll escape serious injury or death in the event of a collision.

In Saskatchewan, the approximately five per cent of people who don’t wear seatbelts, represented one-third of drivers or passengers who lost their lives in auto crashes. In 2021, 20 drivers or passengers were killed while not wearing a seatbelt.

Other results from January:  

- 369 impaired driving offences, including 214 Criminal Code charges; 
- 4,109 tickets for speeding and aggressive driving offences; and 
- 609 tickets issued for distracted driving, including 534 for using a cellphone