(CENTREVILLE) – With the 2023 Memorial Day holiday on the horizon, local law enforcement is reminding drivers about the importance of seat belt use.

This annual campaign is part of the national “Click It or Ticket” enforcement period that runs from May 15 until June 4, 2023. This national seat belt campaign runs concurrently with the start of the busy summer travel season, with the goal of reducing traffic deaths and serious injuries.

St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman says during the “Click It or Ticket” campaign, the department will be working with their fellow law enforcement officers around Michigan to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers to buckle up. Bingaman says wearing a seat belt is not only the law, but it can limit injury or save a life during a crash.

According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, in 2020, 228 people killed in Michigan traffic crashes were not wearing a seat belt. In 2021, the seat belt usage rate in Michigan was 92.6%, down from 94.4% in 2019. The national seat belt usage rate in 2021 was 90.4%.