You might have heard of the seat belt campaign "Click It or Ticket." Well, there is a similar safety campaign for snowmobilers, according to an announcement by the Michigan State Police.
Four state and local law enforcement agencies took part in a snowmobile operation this weekend in the eastern half of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
"We're enforcing excessive speed, alcohol consumption of course, and failure to follow the rules of the road," said Kevin Dowling of the Michigan State Police.
Nine officers made 450 contacts and conducted 46 stops. They gave out 35 verbal warnings, issued nine citations, and arrested two people for operating a snowmobile while intoxicated. The officers were from the Schoolcraft and Luce County sheriff's departments, the Michigan State Police, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
"Sometimes maybe people on off-road vehicles feel that well, you know, the police aren't out in the middle of the woods because they can't get out here," said Dowling. He said this multi-agency safety effort will send a message that law enforcement is going after violations on the trails.
There were 37 snowmobile fatalities in Michigan in the last two years. Almost two-thirds of the deaths involved alcohol or drug impairment.
-- Virginia Gordan, Michigan Radio Newsroom
