Eating a pizza may be 100 percent awesome, but unfortunately only 93 percent of Michigan motorists are ordering the life-saving properties of a seat belt.

Now customers at Hungry Howie’s Pizza stores across the state will have the ability to change that by taking a pledge to wear their seat belt every trip, every time.

Hungry Howie’s Pizza and Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) partnership is part of the annual Click It or Ticket campaign.

Starting Monday through June 5, police departments, sheriff’s offices and the Michigan State Police will conduct stepped up seat belt enforcement.

“While choosing pizza toppings can be tough, deciding to wear a seat belt is easy because it is your best defense and the only thing protecting you from ejection in a crash. Yet seven percent of Michigan motorists still choose to risk injury or death by not buckling up,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director.  “As fatalities on Michigan roads rise and crashes become more severe, using a seat belt is more important than ever and the best way to protect you and your family.”

For the next two weeks patrons at Michigan’s 185 Hungry Howie’s Pizza stores who take the seat belt pledge will receive a coupon code for a Howie’s Bread with their next online pizza order.  The pledge acknowledges that while pizza makes life better, seat belts save lives.

Research shows proper seat belt use reduces the risk of being killed in a crash by nearly 45 percent.

“Since our beginning Hungry Howie’s Pizza has realized the importance of being involved in our communities and doing what we can to make positive changes in the world.  We are committed to the safety of customers and employees and look forward to everyone taking the seat belt pledge,” said Jeff Rinke, vice president of marketing, Hungry Howie’s Pizza.

During last year’s Click It or Ticket campaign, 6,113 seat belt and child seat citations were issued.  Eight people died in traffic crashes during the 2015 Memorial Day holiday period.  While this is a significant decrease from the 20 fatalities during the 2014 Memorial Day holiday period, overall traffic fatalities in Michigan increased by 10 percent in 2015, the highest number of fatalities since 2008.

Michigan law requires drivers, front seat passengers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position to be buckled up.  Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4’9” tall, and children under 4 years old must be in the back seat.

The OHSP coordinates the Click It or Ticket effort, which is supported with federal funds.  The campaign is part of Michigan’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2013.