By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Another seatbelt enforcement effort is underway through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning is coordinating the latest Click It or Ticket campaign, which has been underway for the last couple of weeks. It’s supported by federal traffic safety funds and officers from various police departments, sheriff’s offices and Michigan State Police are taking part. During the last Thanksgiving holiday weekend, there were seven fatalities on Michigan roads. Four of those seven deaths involved drivers and passengers who were not wearing seatbelts. The Office says three out of four people ejected from a vehicle in a crash will die and buckling up is the easiest thing someone can do to reduce injuries and save lives.

OHSP Communications Manager Kendall Wingrove tells WHMI this Thanksgiving might look different for a lot of people and they encourage everyone to celebrate responsibly. If people are traveling, or even just going about their daily tasks, he says they encourage everyone to not be a statistic and buckle up - not just on longer journeys or trips but even shorter destinations like traveling around the corner to the grocery store.

Wingrove says there are close to 1,000 lives lost every year on Michigan roadways because of traffic crashes. In 2019, he says 217 people killed in traffic crashes were not wearing their seatbelts. Wingrove says while about 94.4% of Michigan residents do wear their seats belts, they’re focused on encouraging that remaining percent to follow in the footsteps of others. He says seatbelts reduce the risk of death by 45% so they encourage everyone to take the simple step of wearing a seatbelt and reduce the risk of traffic crashes and deaths.

The Click It or Ticket campaign runs through Sunday.