A total of 29 motorists were busted for not buckling up during the extra nighttime police patrols conducted two weeks ago to enforce seat-belt rules.

State officials reported Wednesday that 71 citations were issued during the extra law enforcement patrols in Island County.

In addition to the 29 citations for not wearing seat belts, police also issued eight speeding infractions, and citations for one DUI as well as six suspended or revoked licenses, and 12 uninsured motorists.

Law enforcement officers from Island County joined roughly 70 other police and sheriff agencies, as well as the State Patrol, to conduct the extra patrols between May 21 and June 7.

Statewide, law enforcement officers and the Washington State Patrol wrote 5,416 citations in total during the patrols, including 2,834 seat-belt violations.

The patrols were funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. The commission has stressed that studies show that a person wearing a seat belt has a 70-percent-better chance of surviving a crash than a non-belted person.

Additional “click it or ticket” patrols are expected to continue through the summer.