As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, the Southfield Police Department is reminding drivers of the importance of seat belt use. This annual campaign is part of the national Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement crackdown which runs from May 20 to June 2. The national seatbelt campaign runs concurrent with the start of the busy summer travel season in an effort to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries.

"During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we'll be working with our fellow law enforcement officers across the state to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers to buckle up," stated Acting Chief of Police Brian Bassett. "We cannot overstate the importance of wearing a seat belt. It's the law, but more importantly, buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. So often, death and injury could have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt."

Over the 2018 Memorial Day holiday period, 19 people died in traffic crashes, almost double the number in 2017. Seat belt use is the single most effective way to stay alive in a crash. Buckling up can reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash by 45 percent.

Michigan law requires drivers, front seat passengers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position to be buckled up. The fine and associated costs for not wearing a seat belt are $65. Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4’9” tall. Children under 4 years old must be in the back seat. In Michigan, the seat belt usage rate stands at 93.4 percent. The national seat belt use rate in 2018 was 89.6 percent.

"If the enforcement crackdown wakes people up to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we'll consider our mission to be a success," said Acting Chief of Police Brian Bassett "If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up, please ask them to consider changing their habits. Help us spread this lifesaving message before one more friend or family member is killed. Seat belts save lives and everyone–children and adults, in the front seat and back seat–needs to remember to buckle up, every trip, every time.”

For more information on the Click it or Ticket enforcement campaign, contact the Southfield Police Department non-emergency line at (248) 796-5500.