The Escanaba Department of Public Safety will be be actively conducting seat belt enforcement during the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning's (OHSP) “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign, running from May 18 to 31.

ESCANABA — To reinforce the importance of seat belt safety, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) has announced its “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign.

Beginning Monday and continuing through May 31, the Escanaba Department of Public Safety, the Michigan State Police and dozens of other local and county police agencies across the state will be actively conducting seat belt enforcement.

The “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign is part of the SAFER by 2030 initiative, a joint effort among state agencies and traffic safety partners aimed at improving roadway safety and reducing traffic fatalities in Michigan by 30 percent by 2030.

Michigan’s primary seat belt law allows police officers to stop and cite motorists for failing to wear a seat belt. It is estimated that more than 1,900 lives have been saved since 2015 due to Michigan’s primary seat belt law, according to OHSP.

A total of 222 people who were killed in traffic crashes in 2024 because they were not wearing their seat belt, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

“Each year for the last five years, Michigan has lost more than 200 people in crashes where a seat belt could have saved a life,” said Alicia Sledge, OHSP director. “As the temperatures rise and summer travel picks up on our busy roadways, we’re reminding everyone to buckle up, no matter how short the trip.”

OHSP stated that of the 222 fatalities in 2024, 202 vehicle occupants were killed while not wearing seat belts in the front seat, 12 in the rear seat and 8 in another or unknown seating position.

Additionally, between 2020 and 2024, 1,171 unbelted occupants were killed in crashes, including 858 males and 313 females.

“Thousands of people die on our roads each year nationally because they chose not to wear a seat belt,” said Michigan State Police Inspector Patrick Daugherty, chair of the SAFER by 2030 Committee. “With high-visibility enforcement efforts like ‘Click It or Ticket’ and public awareness campaigns about the importance of wearing seat belts, we’re working to make sure all Michiganders know about the lifesaving benefits of buckling up each time they get on the road.”

More information about seat belt usage and Michigan’s seat belt laws can be found on OHSP’s website, https://www.michigan.gov/msp/divisions/ohsp.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.