A few weeks ago, I started noticing “seat belt safety zones” around the city. If you’re not familiar with them, they are areas of local roads where state troopers or local police can pull people over for not wearing their safety belts. I’ve seen three separate zones so far: one on Woodward Avenue around 7 Mile, and two different ones on East Jefferson Avenue.

Here are my two thoughts on this:

(more after the jump …)

1 – Why are any police in Detroit wasting time on this when they could be doing something worthwhile (worthwhile to me = stopping drug trafficking and crimes in progress or at least catching the incessant graffiti artists around town).

2 – Who still doesn’t wear a seat belt when driving in an automobile?

I don’t have an answer for number 1, other than this appears to be part of Michigan’s Click It or Ticket Campaign ^[1], but judging from the number of people that I saw being pulled over in these zones, the answer to number 2 = quite a few. I couldn’t believe the number of people being pulled over. Wear your seat belt, Detroiters! Think a seat belt is more hurtful than helpful? Think again ^[2]. If your health isn’t worth it, at least save yourself the $65 or whatever the ticket costs for not wearing a seat belt and just wear it.