Of the three victims with belts available to them, two were not wearing safety belts.  Alcohol was a known factor in one of the six crashes.

"These numbers are preliminary and only reflect those fatalities reported to the Michigan State Police as of noon today," stated Capt. Robert R. Powers, Jr., Commander of the Michigan State Police Traffic Safety Division.  "The preliminary numbers show a decrease in fatalities from this same holiday period last year.  This is a result of the high rate of safety belt usage by motorists and indicates that the enhanced, cooperative holiday enforcement efforts throughout the state are making a positive difference in traffic safety and saving lives."       

The 2009 Memorial Day holiday weekend ran from 6 p.m. on Friday, May 22, through midnight, Monday, May 25, 2009.