May 20, 2009


How to avoid state seat belt crackdown

BY MATT HELMS
FREE PRESS DRIVING COLUMNIST Police statewide are cracking down on unbuckled motorists through May 31, but they're giving plenty of warning and ways to avoid the blitz.
The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning said the aim is not to raise money but rather awareness, which is why it publicizes crackdown sites ahead of time.

You can find times and locations at www.michigan.gov/ohsp.
• SPREADSHEET: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp/May_mobilization_sorted_all_4-27_278343_7.xls">Seat belt enforcement by county [[.xls file)
These spots are on the schedule just for today:
Wayne County: Be warned about police in Detroit on 7 Mile from Van Dyke to Gratiot starting at 7 a.m.; in Livonia at Middlebelt and Joy at 11 a.m.; in Trenton at Van Horn and Fort at 11 a.m., and in Dearborn Heights at Van Born and Beech-Daly at 4 p.m.
Oakland County: Watch out for sheriff's deputies at Lapeer and Clarkston roads in Orion Township starting at 9 a.m.; police in Waterford at Dixie Highway and Walton at 1 p.m.; in Novi at Taft and 10 Mile at 3 p.m., and in West Bloomfield on Orchard Lake at Maple at 4 p.m.
Macomb County: Look for police in Sterling Heights on Schoenherr between 19 Mile and Hall starting at 8 a.m.; in St. Clair Shores at 13 Mile and Harper at noon, and in Clinton Township on Groesbeck and Center Line at southbound Van Dyke and 11 Mile at 4 p.m. And that's just a selection of what's in store for today. All southeast Michigan counties are among the 55 statewide in the crackdown involving 300 police agencies that began Monday. The Click It or Ticket campaign is paid through $765,000 in federal funds dedicated to traffic safety enforcement efforts. Contact MATT HELMS: driving@freepress.com.




Of course, the best and safest thing to do is just to, WEAR YOUR SEATBELT.