Motorists not wearing their seat belts will be targeted by police through June 1 as part of the Office of Highway Safety Planning crackdown, Click It or Ticket.
During this time, officers in nearly 160 agencies will be stationing extra officers on duty to focus specifically on seat belt enforcement. MSU and East Lansing police will be on the lookout for safety belt violations on Grand River Avenue and Lake Lansing Road, as well as other high-traffic areas. Drivers found not wearing a seat belt will be fined $65.
East Lansing Police Cpt. Jeff Murphy said extra funding from the Office of Highway Safety Planning allows departments to keep those extra officers on the clock.
"The areas we're going to be looking for violations in aren't a secret," Murphy said. "You'll see a sign that says seatbelt enforcement zone, and right after it there's an officer in a car, or on a motorcycle, he or she will be watching for seat belt violations. If they see one they call it out and another officer to make the stop."
While the overall goal is to encourage safety belt use in all drivers, Office of Highway Safety Planning spokeswoman Anne Readette said law enforcement is hoping to get young people, men especially, to use their seat belts.
"We know it's important across our state to make sure people recognize that law enforcement officers take the seat belt laws very seriously," Readette said. "When we talk about having an impact, we know especially for young men their seat belt use is lower than the average and when you marry that up with higher fatal crashes, those are people we want to reach and encourage to buckle up."
According to the Office of Highway Safety Planning, Michigan leads the nation in safety belt use. Despite that, the office has noticed a decline in seat belt use over the past four years. During last year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement, 9,003 seat belt and child seat violation tickets were issued.
MSU police will be on the lookout for seat belt violations Thursday, and will have officers posted on Farm Lane and Trowbridge Road.
MSU Police Lt. Randy Holton said some people are under the misconception that low speeds will keep them safe in a crash around MSU, but not wearing a seat belt can still prove fatal in a low-speed crash.
During the enforcement time, Holton said people who are not wearing their seat belt, but put it on when they enter the enforcement zone, might have a chance of getting away without a ticket.
"We hope that we don't have to write any tickets on Thursday," Holton said. "The goal is compliance."
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