Safety belt enforcement is key message to motorists during Memorial Day weekend

LANSING, Mich., May 21 -- The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP), General Motors, AAA Michigan and Travel Michigan will combine their efforts to promote safety belt use and safe summer travel starting with the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the traditional kick off of the warm-weather travel season.

Details of the unique partnership will be released May 22 at 10 a.m. at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. In addition to enforcement details, the latest summer travel information will be issued.

Unlike previous holiday enforcement periods, this unprecedented effort to make traffic safety synonymous with summer fun involves more than the state's law enforcement community. AAA Michigan, General Motors and Travel Michigan, the official State of Michigan tourism promotion agency, will team up with OHSP to incorporate the statewide "Click it or Ticket" slogan into their messages and announcements during the holiday weekend.

"We're very excited about this partnership. Each of these organizations fully supports safe travel and each has done a tremendous job helping Michigan motorists receive vital safety and travel information," said Betty Mercer, division director of OHSP.

Michigan is one of 13 key states involved in an all out effort to increase safety belt use. In addition to statewide law enforcement participation, Michigan is using federal funds to advertise the increased enforcement through radio, television, cable and billboards.

At the May 22 press conference, AAA will release its latest statistics on how many people are expected to hit Michigan roads this holiday weekend and how much travelers can expect to pay at the pump; the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning will have details on the unprecedented enforcement scheduled for the holiday weekend; and Travel Michigan will announce its prediction for Michigan's summer travel season.

The statewide "Click it or Ticket" campaign is part of the Drive Michigan Safely Task Force, a collaborative effort between Michigan State Police, sheriff's departments and local police agencies coordinated by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. The task force's goal is to increase safety belt use throughout the state.