As Michigan’s travel season gets the green light with the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, law enforcement officers across the state are working overtime to ensure motorists are buckled up when they hit the road.

The annual Buckle Up or Pay Up, Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign continues through June 5.  More than 500 Michigan law enforcement agencies are making safety belt enforcement a priority by taking part in the national campaign focused on saving lives by increasing safety belt use.  Much of the enforcement takes place in the form of safety belt enforcement zones in 53 counties.

Safety belt enforcement zones are areas marked by portable signs that alert motorists they are entering the enforcement area.  One officer serves as a spotter, radioing unbelted motorist information to nearby marked patrol vehicles who then stop the motorist and issue a citation. More than 700 of these zones are being conducted across the state during the two-week enforcement effort.

According to early reports received by the Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP), officers in 39 counties have issued 5,522 citations to unbuckled motorists during the enforcement campaign’s first week. Of those citations, 5,406 were for unbelted drivers and their passengers and 116 were for children under age four who were not properly restrained. Other activity included six drunk driving, 216 misdemeanor and 14 felony arrests, 136 citations issued for driving on a suspended license, 62 speeding citations and 1,360 other traffic citations.

OHSP is coordinating the Buckle Up or Pay Up, Click It or Ticket mobilization, providing federal traffic safety funds for overtime patrols to more than 200 Michigan law enforcement agencies and paid advertising to promote awareness of the initiative. By providing law enforcement agencies with overtime funding, officers can concentrate on safety belt enforcement without taking away from their day-to-day duties.

A listing of safety belt enforcement zones can be found at the OHSP website:  www.michigan.gov/ohsp.

Read more news releases from the Michigan State Police.