MI Seatbelt Use Up Slightly This Year

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seatbelt-safe-6

The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning has seen a slight uptick in seat belt use in the state. The office’s Kendall Wingrove tells WSJM News the use of seat belts dropped in the pandemic from around 94% to 92.6% last year.

“It could be the economy because that determines the number of miles traveled and how far people go and how often they go,” Wingrove said. “Gas prices can have a huge role. We like to hope that our public outreach plays a role in the process. We have two different campaigns right now to encourage people to use their seatbelts.”

The numbers for seat belt use in 2022 show 92.9% of drivers use them. Wingrove says people seem to be rebounding from the lows of the pandemic. He notes wearing a seat belt is the single best thing a person can do to avoid serious injury in a crash. Police can pull someone over for not wearing a seat belt, resulting in a fine.