How to Get Belt Use Over 90% Michigans Program

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How to Get Belt Use Over 90 - Michigans Program

• Lifesavers Conference
• Portland, Oregon
• April 13, 2008

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Michigan Safety Belt History

• 1999 Safety Belt Use Rate 70.1
• March 2000 Passed primary safety belt
  legislation
• 2000 Safety Belt Use Rate 83.5
• highest increase ever and since primary
  enforcement

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Michigan Safety Belt History (cont.)

• 2001 decreased to 82.3
• 2002 increased slightly to 82.9
• 2003 increased again to 84.8

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Michigan Safety Belt History(cont.)

• Michigan was stuck between 83.5 and 82.9 from
  2000-2002.
• Needed something different jump start the belt
  rate.
• Introduced safety belt enforcement zones and a
  new message

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May 2003 Safety Belt Enforcement Zones

• Zones increased collaborative enforcement
  visibility
• Zones piloted in 8 major media markets 142
  zones conducted
• Law enforcement training and equipment

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May 2003New Safety Belt Message

• Click It or Ticket Buckle Up or Pay Up
• This monetary message appealed to the focus group
  participants
• Extensive statewide earned media and paid media
  in major media markets

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May 2003 Results

• Belt use increased from 80.1 pre-mobilization to
  83.9 post mobilization (4 increase)
• Highest safety belt rate ever recorded

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Annual Survey Labor Day 2003

• Continued safety belt rate increase to 84.8
• Again, the highest rate ever recorded in the state

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November 2003 Mobilization

• Expanded safety belt enforcement zones to 20
  counties
• Conducted 207 enforcement zones
• Slight decrease in belt use to 83.6 from the
  84.8 over Labor Day 2003

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90 by 2004 Michigan Goal

• Zones in 48 counties (covers over 90 of the
  states population)
• Worked to have all 650 law enforcement agencies
  participate
• Aggressive paid media and outreach

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May 2004

• 700 zones (grant funded) and saturation patrols
  (non-grant funded) resulted in 33,000 safety belt
  citations
• 800,000 of paid media
• Post survey belt use 86.8

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Summer Labor Day 2004

• Zones conducted by approximately 150 law
  enforcement agencies in 31 counties throughout
  the summer
• Post Labor Day safety belt use rate 90.5
• Michigan was 5th state over 90

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2005 to Present Maintaining 90

• Continued program expansion (increased
  enforcement and paid media)
• More media focus on remaining non-belt users
• 2005-2007 92.9, 94.3 93.7 respectively

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2007 Decrease

• Slight decrease in belt use from 94.3 in 2006 to
  93.7 in 2007
• Due to state budget constraints, no state paid
  media buy was conducted
• Relied on national media buy

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Plans for May 2008

• Continue zones with optional nighttime safety
  belt saturation patrols
• Continue outreach partnerships and resuscitate
  paid media

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Plans for July 4th 2008

• Pilot combined belt/alcohol nighttime enforcement
  in 2 counties
• Increased enforcement and visibility with
  portable signs, reflective vests
• Paid media in pilot media markets

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Enforcement Motivators/Operations

• Early buy-in of zone format from law enforcement
  leadership
• Multi-agency participation
• Law enforcement challenge LELs (until 2007)
• Sustained summer enforcement

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Program Planning

• Same target audience each year, but subsets
  addressed
• Rural belt use
• Teen belt use
• Nighttime belt use

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Public Education

• Zones publicized through local media (media
  releases and events)
• Unplanned media via radio call-in shows
• Paid media in major media markets

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Public Education (cont.)

• Messages targeted to unbuckled motorists
• May 2006 Region 5 rural demo
• Community action kits (convenience and auto parts
  stores bars pizza stickers

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Marketing/Outreach

• Began building partnerships when zones began in
  2003 (i.e. court staff, diverse populations, GM,
  State Lottery, 4H groups, State Fair, state
  welcome centers, etc)
• Use of banners, newsletter articles, electronic
  messages, web links, staffed booths

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Evaluation

• Direct observation surveys by UMTRI and Wayne
  State
• Telephone surveys to measure awareness

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Contact Information

• Alicia Sledge
• Occupant Protection Program
• MI Office of Highway Safety Planning
• [phone]
• sledgea_at_michigan.gov