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HOUGHTON -- We all know that buckling your seat belt can save your life, but many still fail to do so.  Despite the fact that Michigan boasted the nation's highest rate of seat belt usage for the past two years, Houghton County is lagging behind.

The county has had the U.P.'s highest rate of accident fatalities over the past decade, and officials say seat belt negligence is to blame.

"We're a smaller community and we have a college here," said Lt. Nicholas Roberts of the Houghton Police, "so the age range with teenagers and college kids--they don't tend to wear their seat belts as much as adults."

"I think there tends to be the issue that you're just driving a short way in a rural community," said Jamie Dolan, regional director for the Michigan Department of Highway Safety and Planning.  "It's not a long trip, so I think people become more complacent."

Their solution?  The "Click-it or Ticket" state enforcement program.  It targets people not wearing seat belts in high traffic areas.  Houghton County is one of 30 counties in the state participating.

On Monday, state and city police implemented their very first enforcement zone off of Route 41 near Michigan Tech's campus.  Over the next two weeks, about 10 enforcement zones will be monitored throughout Houghton County by state and Houghton Police.

"We want to show enforcement, but we want the public to know that we want them to wear their seat belts, it's not about the ticket," Roberts said.

Michigan can slap you with a $65 fine for failing to buckle up, and with the "Click-it or Ticket" mobilization during the highly-traveled Memorial Day holiday, officials hope to get their point across.