CONTACT: Anne Readett, OHSP @ 517-333-5317

Lisa Crumley, Pace& Partners @ 800-825-7223

Lansing, Mich. -- The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) is serious about the casual safety belt wearer. Nearly one quarter of Michigan drivers admit to being only part-time belt users, according to a recent EPIC/MRA telephone survey of Michigan drivers. This group is the focus of a new public information project urging people to "Buckle up. Always."

"Previous studies have shown that safety belt use is lower among rural drivers, young men and pickup-truck drivers, but this most recent survey has revealed something new about suburban drivers in their thirties and forties," said Ed Sarpolus of EPIC/MRA.

According to Sarpolus, this research paints a clear picture of a new segment of part-time belt users, the majority of which fall into the 36 to 49 age group. Men in this category tend to be successful and confident, but still young enough to be somewhat rebellious. Women who buckle up inconsistently tend to lead a typically busy suburban lifestyle, taking lots of short trips during the day. "They don’t want to be ‘inconvenienced’ by unnecessary details," Sarpolus said.

Additionally, a surprising number of part-time belt users (15%) are still not aware that they can be stopped by an officer solely for not wearing a safety belt.

OHSP Division Director Betty J. Mercer said the new, edgy public information project will address part-time belt wearers directly. Messages will support the existing "Click It or Ticket" campaign. However, the new initiative will speak to the lifestyles and motivations of these part-time belt users.

"The messages in this new campaign will be different than Click It or Ticket because we’re trying to relate to people who haven’t been reached with a mainstream information campaign," said Mercer. "We want to impress upon people that it’s important to buckle up every single time they get into their vehicle, because most traffic crashes happen without warning and occur close to home."

Beginning this summer, the "Buckle Up. Always" message will begin appearing in public service radio announcements, outdoor billboards, and at community events across the state. The message will incorporate themes designed to remind part-time belt users that the result of not being belted during a crash can be devastating—for drivers and for their children, spouses and friends.

The project will use unique, targeted and grassroots means of delivering messages rather than mass media. For this reason, much of the general public may not be exposed to the messages aimed at part-time belt users. "Because we know so much about these drivers, we will speak to them in a very direct and personal way," said Mercer. "We will also enlist the cooperation of partners, including organizations, events, and businesses, to help us spread the word."

Michigan’s long-term goal is to raise safety belt use to 90 percent by 2003—a mark only Hawaii and California have reached to date. Michigan is currently at 82.3 percent safety belt use, based on observation studies by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) in the Fall of 2001. If Michigan succeeds, the state should also join California in another record—the lowest vehicle-mileage death rate in the state’s history.