Last year's joint law enforcement effort to improve safety on US-2, dubbed Operation SABRE (Speed, Aggressive Driving, Belts, Rural Enforcement), has received two awards from police and a state traffic safety agency.

The effort, which ran from May 15 to September 15, received the 2005 Award for Excellence in Traffic Safety Applications from the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police and the 2005 Governor's Traffic Safety Advisory Commission Award for Outstanding Contribution to Traffic Safety.

The operation was a joint effort among several police and safety agencies to reduce the number and severity of crashes along the busy two-line highway by increasing awareness, education, and enforcement between Rapid River and St. Ignace.

More than 3,500 contacts were made between drivers and officers, and more than 1,900 speeding tickets were issued during the operation.

The campaign will be extended this year to November 1.

Participating agencies include the Michigan State Police, county Sheriff's Departments, local police agencies along US-2, Michigan Department of Transportation, Upper Peninsula Tourism Council, Chamber of Commerce offices in the area, the Michigan Center for Truck Safety, and the Governor's Office.