With the holiday driving season in full tilt, police officers all over Michigan and the United States are gearing up for a strict implementation of the “Click it or Ticket” campaign.
“My advice would be if you see a police officer, make sure you’re wearing your seat belt,” Ingham County Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth said.
The Ingham County Sheriff’s Department is one of more than 400 Michigan police agencies participating in the program.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy year-round, but there will be an emphasis on it this weekend,” he said.
Up until June 3, more than 10,000 law agencies all over the nation will be on the lookout for drivers and passengers who aren’t buckled up for their holiday trips.
A crucial part of the campaign is Operation ABC, which focuses on making sure young children are buckled up. As a part of the summer driving season for the past few years, law officials within Michigan believe it has helped ensure Michigan families are safer.
“It’s been very successful,” said Sgt. Jill Bennett, of the Michigan State Police Traffic Service Section. “It’s just a matter of looking for it. It’s not that it’s more common on holidays - it’s just that more people are driving.”
Bennett added that officers this weekend may be writing almost 50 to 60 percent of their citations for safety belt violations.
Michigan has had mandatory safety belt laws on the books since 1985, but officers could not pull over a car only for the safety belt violation until 1999, when Gov. John Engler signed the new law. Until the law was instituted a person would have to be pulled over for another violation, such as speeding, before an officer could issue a citation for not wearing a safety belt.
The law includes provisions that an officer may pull over a vehicle if a child between the ages of 4 and 15 is not properly restrained, and that all children under the age of 4 be restrained in an approved safety seat.
Statistics show that nearly 270,000 children nationwide are injured in traffic accidents every year, making accidents the No. 1 cause of death among children ages 4 to 15.
Despite the increased reinforcement, some travelers aren’t too concerned with the safety belt laws.
Alane Millar, a telecommunication senior who plans to leave East Lansing to go on a camping trip this weekend, doesn’t think the police should be as concerned with people’s safety belt usage.
“If someone doesn’t want to wear their seat belt, they shouldn’t have to,” Millar said. “That’s just what I think.”
