Hopefully by now the message is clear- buckle up or pay up.  Because this guy is annoying, but not as annoying at $65 seat belt ticket.

With Memorial Day just around the corner and the summer travel season underway, law enforcement agencies will continue stepped up seat belt enforcement to ensure all motorists buckle up. More than 220 seat belt enforcement zones and patrols will be taking place all over the state during the holiday weekend.

Last Memorial Day weekend, five vehicle occupants died on Michigan roadways and two of them were not wearing seat belts. In fact, despite the state’s almost 98 percent seat belt use rate, more than half of vehicle occupants who died in crashes last year were unbelted.

“Most people on Michigan’s roadways always wear a seat belt; this enforcement effort is working to reach those few hold-outs,” said Michael L. Prince, Office of Highway Safety Planning director. “Wearing a seat belt is easy and it is the single best way to reduce your chances of being hurt or killed in a traffic crash.”

Seat belt enforcement will continue through June 6 with officers in 30 counties conducting roving night patrols and daytime seat belt enforcement zones.

This annual enforcement effort is part of a larger national campaign paid for with federal funds earmarked specifically for traffic safety efforts. The funding is used to pay for advertising and officer participation.

Federally-funded seat belt enforcement is occurring in the following counties: Allegan, Barry, Bay, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Chippewa, Genesee, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Ingham, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Marquette, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Ottawa, Saginaw, St. Clair, Tuscola, Van Buren, Washtenaw, Wayne, and Wexford.

A list of planned enforcement times, dates and locations is available at www.michigan.gov/ohsp.

Michigan motorists will see a sure sign of summer today, safety belt enforcement zones, which launch the start of the annual two-week traffic safety mobilization designed to reinforce the state’s nationally record-setting seat belt rate.

            By all accounts, the federally funded statewide mobilization has achieved remarkable results.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says Click it or Ticket is the most successful seat belt enforcement campaign ever.  While national seat belt use is 83 percent, 97.9 percent of Michigan motorists are buckling up.

            Despite the highest belt use any state has ever achieved, nearly half of the state’s passenger vehicle occupants who died last year were unbuckled – 305 people.  The primary audience for advertising messages continues to be men ages 18 to 34, the group least likely to wear seat belts.

            “Our goal, always, is that drivers notice and take heed of the seat belt campaign,” said Michael L. Prince, Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) director.  “This once-a-year effort saves lives year round.”

            In the past ten years, seat belt use has climbed from 70 percent in 2000 to 97.9 percent in 2009.  More importantly, traffic deaths have fallen from 1,382 in 2000 to 871 in 2009.  And, seat belt citations have declined as belt use has increased.  During last year’s seat belt campaign, officers issued just 11,727 seat belt citations.

            In 2008 alone, seat belts saved 13,250 lives nationwide and 465 lives in Michigan, according to NHTSA.

            The campaign is paid for with federal funds that put additional police officers on the road; regular patrols are not redirected.  In the last five years, safety belt enforcement zones have led to the arrest of 807 drunk drivers, 725 fugitives and 883 felons. 

            Taking place around Memorial Day each year, this campaign kick-starts the summer travel season with a strong safe driving message and sets the stage for additional enforcement campaigns this summer that will focus on drunk driving and other dangerous driving behavior.

            More than 850 zones are slated in 30 counties and will involve local police departments, sheriff offices and Michigan State Police posts.  In addition to daytime zones, officers will also be adding late-night traffic shifts during the mobilization to reinforce the importance of buckling up, day and night, because seat belt use falls sharply during late night/early morning hours.

            Because the campaign goal is compliance and not tickets, locations of safety belt enforcement zones are listed on OHSP’s website at www.michigan.gov/ohsp .

The ad campaign grew from focus groups where young men freely admitted they are faced with constant reminders to buckle up, from in-vehicle chimes and flashing dashboard symbols to family, friends and girlfriends.

Ads will be seen for two weeks in the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Flint media markets on network television and cable and on radio stations that reach the group least likely to buckle up, young men. Other ad venues include Internet sites popular with this group such as Facebook, MLB.com, ESPN.com and FoxSports.com.

Michigan law enforcement officers will be on the streets with seat belt enforcement zones May 24 through June 6. National research has proven the most effective means to increase seat belt use is through short but highly visible periods of increased enforcement.

Ad development and placement are funded entirely with federal funds earmarked for traffic safety programs.

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.