MSU police are planning to buckle down on drivers who don’t buckle up.

Just in time for Labor Day travel, the Department of Police and Public Safety is participating in the statewide Click it or Ticket campaign, putting more emphasis on safety belt wearing.

“We do it all the time, but we’ll be giving it special attention,” said MSU police Sgt. Randy Holton. “It’s a busy time at the beginning of the year when people are not so familiar with the area.

“That’s why we’re out there.”

Holton said although campus often quiets down over Labor Day weekend, parents flood campus to pick up students while other student drivers clog East Lansing roads to leave.

“When the school year is on, we’re in full demand,” he said. “We have a lot of leaving and returning, so we have a lot of travel. We’re taking a zero-tolerance stance on not wearing a seat belt.”

Michigan has had mandatory safety belt laws on the books since 1985, but officers couldn’t pull over a driver solely for not buckling up until March 2000.

Previously, a person could only be pulled over for another violation, such as speeding, and be issued a citation for not wearing a safety belt.

Holton said the department wants people to understand the importance of wearing a safety belt and not to be surprised by at least six cars patrolling campus, looking for offenders - and ready to write the $40 ticket.

“The goal is to get the community involved and do this together,” he said. “If we just went out and did the enforcement, people wouldn’t know why.”

Safety belt wearing in Michigan rose from 70 percent to 83.5 percent since the law took effect, said the Office of Highway Safety Planning.

Like MSU police, the East Lansing Police Department will have extra officers watching the road, the drivers and their safety belts.

“Most people are compliant with the law,” said East Lansing Capt. Juli Liebler. “I think if they’re aware that we’re enforcing the law, they’re more likely to obey it.”

Anne Readett, public information specialist for the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said police departments across the state are participating in the campaign - especially after 27 Labor Day fatalities on Michigan’s roads last year. Wearing a safety belt can reduce risk of being killed in an accident by 50 percent.

“We usually see 15 to 20,” Readett said. “We’re a little more concerned this holiday because last year we saw a disturbing number. We really want people to take extra caution.”

Readett said although it is unique for a campus police force to participate in the campaign, campus includes an important group of drivers - college-aged men have more car accidents than any other group.

“Our lowest belt use is among young men,” she said. “We want people to wear their seat belts because we don’t want them to get pulled over.”

Marketing senior James McNamara said wearing a safety belt is a learned habit. For him, it was taught by car accidents and daily routine.

“I don’t really think about it anymore,” he said. “I use it already, so (the law) isn’t going to change my behavior. The decision has already been made.”

Staff writer Aaron Johnson contributed to this report.