(Chelsea Update would like to thank Dennis Raymo for the information in this story.)
To remind everyone about the importance of buckling up, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) has announced a “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign that will run from May 15 to June 4.
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, which includes Memorial Day weekend.
In Michigan, 254 people who were killed in traffic crashes during 2021 were not wearing a seat belt, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. That is an increase of 11.4 percent over 2020, when there were 228 fatalities.
“Wearing a seat belt is the most effective thing you can do to reduce injuries and save lives—and buckling up should be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike,” said Katie Bower, OHSP director. “It’s not just the safe thing to do—it’s the law.”
During the 2021 Memorial Day weekend, there were 14 fatal crashes on Michigan roadways that resulted in 14 fatalities. From 2019 to 2022, the seat belt usage rate in Michigan fell from 94.4 percent to 92.9 percent. There are nearly 30 Michigan counties that fall below the state usage rate. See the OHSP website for more details. The national seat belt usage rate in 2021 was 90.4 percent.
“As the busy summer travel season gets underway, we want to remind drivers and passengers to stay safe and wear a seat belt, every trip, every time,” Bower added.
Men make up the majority of those killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2020, 67 percent of the 23,824 passenger-vehicle occupants who were killed were men. Men use seat belts at a lower rate than women do—55 percent of men killed in crashes were unrestrained, compared to 43 percent of women killed in crashes.
In addition, young adults are at a higher risk of being killed because of riding unrestrained. Sixty percent of young adults aged 18 to 34 who were killed in 2020 while riding in passenger vehicles were not buckled up—one of the highest percentages for all age groups.
NHTSA estimates that buckling up in the front seat can reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash by 45 percent.
Michigan law requires drivers, front-seat passengers, and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position to be buckled up. The fine and associated costs for not wearing a seat belt is $65. Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4′ 9″ tall. Children under 4 years old must be in the back seat.
The OHSP coordinates the “Click It or Ticket” effort, which is supported by federal traffic safety funds.
