LANSING, Mich. — Michigan's traffic safety community will be gathering for a two-day summit this week.
The summit begins Tuesday, March 10, which marks the 20th anniversary of when police could pull you over for not wearing a seatbelt, according to a statement sent to Fox 47.
Prior to the law, Michigan's seat belt rate was around 70%, it's been as high as 97.9% in 2009 and is currently at 94.4%, according to Michigan State Police.
MSP said the seat belt law is one of the main reasons traffic fatalities in Michigan have fallen from nearly 1,500 per year in the 1990s to less than 1,000 in 2018.
“Over the last two decades, 3,454 lives have been saved because of the seat belt law,” said Michael L. Prince, Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) Director. “You’ve heard it a million times, but it is still important to remember buckling up really does save lives.”'
MSP said the summit is expected to focus on the following:
Tuesday
• 20th Anniversary of Michigan’s Seat Belt Law, James Hedlund, principal of Highway Safety North, and Betty J. Mercer, former director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning
• The New World of Impaired Driving, Kinga Canike and Ken Stecker, traffic safety resource prosecutors
Wednesday
• Effective Social Media Strategies, Sgt. Tracy Lillard of the Illinois State Police
• Victory over Critical Injury, Sgt. Robert Bemis (Ret.) of the Pennsylvania State Police
In addition to the general sessions, MSP said there will be more than 25 workshops including illegal passing of school buses, new trends in substance abuse, and dangers of drowsy driving.
For more information on the summit, click here.
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