Seat belt usage on the rise

Seat belt use in Pennsylvania has reached a record-high of 86 percent – the highest rate since the state began tracking seat belt usage in 1988.

Governor Ed Rendell made the announcement yesterday.

Rendell thanked state and local law enforcement and other highway safety partners for their assistance in promoting seat belt use. These educational and enforcement efforts resulted in the record level of seat belt compliance in 2006, which reflected nearly a three-percentage-point jump from the 83.3 percent level reported in 2005.

PennDOT estimates with every percentage point increase in seat belt usage, eight to 12 lives will be saved. In 2005, 578 unbuckled fatalities occurred on the state’s highways.