Seat belt enforcement campaign in operation Memorial Day weekend
ALPENA, Mich. — The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) is reminding drivers to buckle up. The (OHSP) Click it or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign started May 17 and runs through June 6.
Officers from police departments, sheriff’s offices and the Michigan State Police will be conducting seat belt enforcement across the state during the three-week period. The campaign includes Memorial Day weekend.
In Michigan, the seat belt usage rate in 2019 was 94.4 percent. The national seat belt usage rate in 2019 was 90.7 percent.
“There are a lot of inexperienced drivers out there that think they’re invincible,” said MSP Trooper Robert Mitchell. “The simplest thing you can do to reduce your risk of injury in a crash is to wear your seat belt,” he said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)estimates that seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved 14,955 lives nationwide in 2017. Seat belts are the single most effective way to stay alive in a crash. According to the NHTSA, buckling up in the front seat can reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash by 45 percent.
