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Click It Or Ticket: State, Local Police Add Extra Patrols To Look For Unbuckled Drivers

DETROIT (WWJ) - Remember to buckle up for safety as police step up seat belt enforcement in metro Detroit and across the state.

Michigan State Police and local law enforcement will be watching closely as part of their Click It or Ticket Campaign, kicking off on Monday, May 22.

Anne Readett, of Michigan Office Of Highway Safety Planning, said statistics shows being buckled up really makes a difference in a crash.

"A seat belt can really reduce your risk of death or injury by nearly 50 percent; those are really great odds," she told WWJ's Beth Fisher. "And we know that other safety features in vehicles are meant to work in conjunction with the seat belt."

In 2016, 196 people who died in traffic crashes in Michigan were not wearing their seat belts, according to the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center. Of those, 134 were male and 62 were female.

While it's always illegal not to wear one, Readett said during this period there will be extra patrols out with officers looking specifically for unbuckle motorists.

"But certainly our goal always is that people buckle up, and that's why we tell people ahead of time what we're doing and when we're doing this once a year annual Click It or Ticket Campaign, because we know how terribly important it is," she said.

Michigan law requires drivers, front seat passengers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position be buckled up. (Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4'9'' tall and children under the age of 4 must be in the back seat. It is also recommended that children under the age of 2 remain in a rear-facing position).

Readett said while Michigan has one of the higher seat belt usage rates in the country, at 94.5  percent last year, but it has been as high as 98 percent — a number she'd like to see us reach again.

"We have to recognize ever person is important and no one is expendable," she added. "So we know we've done better and we can do better."

The stepped-up enforcement will continue through Memorial Day Weekend, wrapping up on Sunday, June 4. Residents are encouraged to use #ClickOnMI on social media to participate in the challenge to increase seat belt use in the Midwest region, and show their state pride.

The fine for an unbuckled adult in Michigan is $65.

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