Buckle Up or Pay Up efforts in 55 counties statewide

            The message should be loud and clear this holiday weekend: Click It or Ticket when traveling the state’s roads. In an effort to reinforce what has become a habit for more than 97 percent of the state’s motorists, law enforcement officers statewide will continue stepped up seat belt enforcement through the end of the month including the heavily traveled Memorial Day weekend.

            The annual two week Buckle Up or Pay Up, Click It or Ticket mobilization began Monday.  Nearly 5,000 scheduled enforcement hours in 260 seat belt enforcement zones and nighttime patrols are planned for the holiday weekend beginning today.

Enforcement campaigns like this have contributed to Michigan’s high seat belt use rate and decline in fatalities. The goal is to reach out to people who are still not buckling up.

“Wearing a seat belt is the easiest way to stay safe in a crash, and yet some people don’t feel it is worth the small effort to buckle up,” said Michael L. Prince, Office of Highway Safety Planning director. “Forty-one percent of people who died in crashes last year were unbelted; those are deaths that may easily have been prevented.”

While few seat belt enforcement activity reports are in yet, officers have arrested one fugitive and made four felony and three misdemeanor arrests as a result of seat belt enforcement activity.

            Crashes involving unbelted drivers and passengers tend to have more serious consequences than those where people were wearing seat belts. In fact, wearing a seat belt can reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash by nearly 50 percent according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Michigan law requires all drivers, front seat passengers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position in the vehicle to be buckled up. Children must be in a car or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4’9” tall, whichever comes first.

For a complete list of planned enforcement, visit www.michigan.gov/ohsp.

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From today until May 31, officers in 55 Michigan counties will be working additional federally funded patrols in seat belt enforcement zones. The campaign brings together local, county and state law enforcement officers for one goal: to get motorists to buckle up.

Planned zones and patrols for Tuesday, May 19 include:

 Michigan’s steadily increasing seat belt use rate today will earn national recognition and praise from the U.S. Department of Transportation (D.O.T.)  just as law enforcement agencies ready for the annual statewide Buckle Up or Pay Up, Click It or Ticket seat belt mobilization.

Admiral Tom Barrett, U.S. D.O.T. deputy secretary, will present the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Champion Award” in honor of Michigan’s successful efforts to increase seat belt use, achieving the No. 1 spot in the country in 2008.

Last year, belt use rose to 97.2 percent, besting the other high belt-use states. At the same time, Michigan traffic deaths dropped 8 percent to 980, the lowest figure since 1925.    

More than 300 law enforcement agencies from 55 counties will have additional officers on the road starting Monday through May 31. Motorists should notice nearly 700 safety belt enforcement zones as well as additional late-night traffic patrols where officers will have zero tolerance for unbuckled drivers. Because seat belt use falls sharply during late night/early morning hours, agencies are stepping up traffic patrols during these times to encourage high compliance both day and night. 

The entire effort is coordinated by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP), utilizing federal funds for traffic safety programs. Officers working the zones and nighttime patrols are working additional shifts, not being diverted from their regular duties.

“Despite these challenging budget times, public safety remains a priority,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director. “This effort is about saving lives and is funded entirely through federal traffic safety dollars. It does not add extra strain to local or state budgets or manpower.”

The following 55 counties will set up safety belt enforcement zones from May 18-31: Allegan, Alpena, Barry, Bay, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Clinton, Delta, Eaton, Emmet, Genesee, Grand Traverse, Hillsdale, Huron, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Mackinac, Macomb, Marquette, Mason, Mecosta, Menominee, Midland, Monroe, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oakland, Oceana, Ogemaw, Otsego, Ottawa, Saginaw, Sanilac, Schoolcraft, St. Clair, St. Joseph, Shiawassee, Tuscola, Van Buren, Washtenaw, Wayne and Wexford.

Michigan law requires all drivers, front seat passengers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position in the vehicle to be buckled up. Children must be in a car or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4’9” tall, whichever comes first.

For a list of planned enforcement zone and patrols, visit www.michigan.gov/ohsp.

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“Beep Beep” Man made his debut in the new Buckle Up or Pay Up, Click it or Ticket ads on TV, radio and on the Web. Look for “Beep Beep” Man and remember to buckle up.

Three years ago Emily Bowness of Holland was involved in a horrific rollover crash on I-96 in Ingham County, a crash that could have claimed her life if she was not buckled up.

“I remember rolling the first time, and I remember landing,” Bowness said. “I knew I was hurt, but I knew I was alive. Wearing my safety belt saved my life.”

The crash was the result of a merging vehicle causing another vehicle to veer into Bowness’ lane, which then caused her to swerve and rollover. The entire incident was captured on the in-car camera of an Oakland County deputy who happened to be driving behind Bowness on the highway.

The footage made national headlines, and Bowness has been interviewed countless times about her experience, appearing on several television talk shows. In an effort to urge more motorists to buckle up, Bowness worked with the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning to promote the use of safety belts through a television public service announcement.