Buckle Up or Pay Up - Click It or Ticket; Statewide Safety Belt Enforcement Begins Monday; New Pilot Enforcement Program to be Announced

What: Thousands of law enforcement officers across Michigan will make safety belt enforcement a priority beginning Monday and running through June 1. Starting Monday, many metro Detroit law enforcement agencies will participate in a new pilot project to make safety belt enforcement efforts more visible on roads where crashes are high or belt use is low.

Who: More than 500 law enforcement agencies are taking part in the Click It or Ticket mobilization, the largest number ever signed up in the state. This includes 104 agencies in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Speakers will include: Chief Jerry Oliver of the Detroit Police Department, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Munoz of the Michigan State Police, Sheriff Warren Evans of the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, and Phil Haseltine, president of the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety and spokesperson for the national Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Coalition.

  When:  10 a.m., Monday, May 19.

  Where:  Jefferson Chevrolet
          2130 E. Jefferson Avenue
          Detroit

Why: Safety belt use in Michigan has not increased since the primary enforcement law went into effect in 2000. Highly visible enforcement has been shown to increase safety belt use, which in turn helps reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Because of increased travel, holiday periods can bring increases in traffic fatalities.

Editors: To see when and where the pilot enforcement program is taking place, visit www.michigan.gov/msp . Click on "Services to Governmental Agencies" then select Office of Highway Safety Planning. Information regarding the program and enforcement areas can be found by selecting "May 2003 Mobilization - Buckle Up or Pay Up/Click It or Ticket."

PRNewswire -- May 19