diff --git a/README.rdoc b/README.rdoc
index 2848350..b9d97bf 100644
--- a/README.rdoc
+++ b/README.rdoc
@@ -302,12 +302,22 @@ will be inserted.
 And for something a little more specific you can override the format of the interpolation
 values inserted in the error messages for temporal restrictions like so
 
-  ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.error_value_formats.update(
+For Rails 2.0/2.1:
+
+  ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.default_error_value_formats.update(
     :time     => '%H:%M:%S',
     :date     => '%Y-%m-%d',
     :datetime => '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'
   )
 
+Rails 2.2+ using the I18n system to define new defaults:
+
+  validates_timeliness:
+    error_value_formats:
+      date: '%Y-%m-%d'
+      time: '%H:%M:%S'
+      datetime: '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'
+
 Those are Ruby strftime formats not the plugin formats.
 
 
diff --git a/lib/validates_timeliness.rb b/lib/validates_timeliness.rb
index 99e7715..06a66bc 100644
--- a/lib/validates_timeliness.rb
+++ b/lib/validates_timeliness.rb
@@ -34,20 +34,14 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
         I18n.load_path += [ LOCALE_PATH ]
         I18n.reload!
       else
-        messages = YAML::load(IO.read(LOCALE_PATH))
-        errors = messages['en']['activerecord']['errors']['messages'].inject({}) {|h,(k,v)| h[k.to_sym] = v.gsub(/\{\{\w*\}\}/, '%s');h }
+        defaults = YAML::load(IO.read(LOCALE_PATH))['en']
+        errors = defaults['activerecord']['errors']['messages'].inject({}) {|h,(k,v)| h[k.to_sym] = v.gsub(/\{\{\w*\}\}/, '%s');h }
         ::ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages.update(errors)
+
+        ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.default_error_value_formats = defaults['validates_timeliness']['error_value_formats'].symbolize_keys
       end
     end
     
-    def default_error_messages
-      if Rails::VERSION::STRING < '2.2'
-        ::ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages
-      else
-        I18n.translate('activerecord.errors.messages')
-      end
-    end
-
     def setup_for_rails
       self.default_timezone = ::ActiveRecord::Base.default_timezone
       self.use_time_zones = ::ActiveRecord::Base.time_zone_aware_attributes rescue false
diff --git a/lib/validates_timeliness/locale/en.yml b/lib/validates_timeliness/locale/en.yml
index f8731c7..3b249a6 100644
--- a/lib/validates_timeliness/locale/en.yml
+++ b/lib/validates_timeliness/locale/en.yml
@@ -11,3 +11,8 @@ en:
         after: "must be after {{restriction}}"
         on_or_after: "must be on or after {{restriction}}"
         between: "must be between {{earliest}} and {{latest}}"
+  validates_timeliness:
+    error_value_formats:
+      date: '%Y-%m-%d'
+      time: '%H:%M:%S'
+      datetime: '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'
diff --git a/lib/validates_timeliness/spec/rails/matchers/validate_timeliness.rb b/lib/validates_timeliness/spec/rails/matchers/validate_timeliness.rb
index f215554..6587415 100644
--- a/lib/validates_timeliness/spec/rails/matchers/validate_timeliness.rb
+++ b/lib/validates_timeliness/spec/rails/matchers/validate_timeliness.rb
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ module Spec
         end
 
         def error_message_for(option)
-          msg = @validator.send(:error_messages)[option]
+          msg = @validator.error_messages[option]
           restriction = @validator.class.send(:evaluate_option_value, @validator.configuration[option], @type, @record)
 
           if restriction 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ module Spec
         
         def format_value(value)
           return value if value.is_a?(String)
-          value.strftime(ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.error_value_formats[@type])
+          value.strftime(@validator.class.error_value_formats[@type])
         end
       end
 
diff --git a/lib/validates_timeliness/validator.rb b/lib/validates_timeliness/validator.rb
index 2f2badd..54ff4be 100644
--- a/lib/validates_timeliness/validator.rb
+++ b/lib/validates_timeliness/validator.rb
@@ -2,14 +2,9 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
 
   class Validator
     cattr_accessor :ignore_restriction_errors
-    cattr_accessor :error_value_formats
+    cattr_accessor :default_error_value_formats
 
     self.ignore_restriction_errors = false
-    self.error_value_formats = {
-      :time     => '%H:%M:%S',
-      :date     => '%Y-%m-%d',
-      :datetime => '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'
-    }
 
     RESTRICTION_METHODS = {
       :equal_to     => :==,
@@ -47,7 +42,11 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
 
       validate_restrictions(record, attr_name, value)
     end
-    
+
+    def error_messages
+      @error_messages ||= self.class.default_error_messages.merge(custom_error_messages)
+    end
+
    private
 
     def raw_value(record, attr_name)
@@ -120,10 +119,6 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
       end
     end
 
-    def error_messages
-      @error_messages ||= ValidatesTimeliness.default_error_messages.merge(custom_error_messages)
-    end
-    
     def custom_error_messages
       @custom_error_messages ||= configuration.inject({}) {|msgs, (k, v)|
         if md = /(.*)_message$/.match(k.to_s) 
@@ -132,7 +127,7 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
         msgs
       }
     end
-    
+
     def combine_date_and_time(value, record)
       if type == :date
         date = value
@@ -156,6 +151,22 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
     # class methods
     class << self
 
+      def default_error_messages
+        if Rails::VERSION::STRING < '2.2'
+          ::ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages
+        else
+          I18n.translate('activerecord.errors.messages')
+        end
+      end
+
+      def error_value_formats
+        if defined?(I18n)
+          I18n.translate('validates_timeliness.error_value_formats')
+        else
+          default_error_value_formats
+        end
+      end
+
       def evaluate_option_value(value, type, record)
         case value
         when Time, Date
diff --git a/spec/validator_spec.rb b/spec/validator_spec.rb
index a1d9c78..36fa6f7 100644
--- a/spec/validator_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/validator_spec.rb
@@ -554,12 +554,18 @@ describe ValidatesTimeliness::Validator do
     describe "custom formats" do
 
       before :all do
-        @@formats = ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.error_value_formats
-        ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.error_value_formats = {
+        custom = {
           :time     => '%H:%M %p',
           :date     => '%d-%m-%Y',
           :datetime => '%d-%m-%Y %H:%M %p'
         }
+
+        if defined?(I18n)
+          I18n.backend.store_translations 'en', :validates_timeliness => { :error_value_formats => custom }
+        else
+          @@formats = ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.default_error_value_formats
+          ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.default_error_value_formats = custom
+        end
       end
 
       it "should format datetime value of restriction" do
@@ -581,7 +587,11 @@ describe ValidatesTimeliness::Validator do
       end
 
       after :all do
-        ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.error_value_formats = @@formats
+        if defined?(I18n)
+          I18n.reload!
+        else
+          ValidatesTimeliness::Validator.default_error_value_formats = @@formats
+        end
       end
     end