(WWJ) - Thousands of drivers who failed to buckle up were cited during the statewide "Click It or Ticket" campaign in October.
Michigan State Police say officers from 96 departments across 36 counties conducted 7,227 traffic stops resulting in 2,108 seat belt and child restraint citations between October 17 and Halloween.
Along with seat beat violations, officers also issued 1,199 speeding citations, made nine alcohol and drug-related arrests, and 38 other felony arrests.
Seat belt use in Michigan stands at 94.4 percent, higher than the national seat belt use rate of 89.6 percent in 2018, according to the statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Buckling up can reduce the risk of serious injury or death by 45 percent. In Michigan, 192 people killed in traffic crashes in 2018 were not wearing a seat belt.
"Motorists need to remember that buckling up is the easiest thing they can do to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries on Michigan roads," Michael Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said in a statement. "Our goal is to save lives, not write tickets. Remember to buckle up every trip, every time, every passenger."
Michigan law requires drivers, front seat passengers, and passengers age 15 and younger in any seating position to be buckled up. Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8-years-old or 4'9" tall.