Published:
California Seat Belt Usage Reaches New Record High
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- State traffic safety officials
today announced that seat belt use inCalifornia has reached an all-time high
of 95.7 percent, an increase of more than 1 percentage point over the 2007
figure of 94.6 percent.California's seat belt usage rate is one of the
highest in the nation.
"These numbers show that the overwhelming majority of Californians have
gotten the message that seat belts work," said Dale E. Bonner, Secretary of
the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. "They save lives, prevent
injuries and reduce the societal costs of collisions."
The annual survey by researchers at California State University, Fresno,
has shown steady increases in seat belt usage since the start of the Click It
or Ticket campaign in 2005, when usage was at 90.4 percent. In the last four
years alone, it is estimated that more than 1.25 million motorists in the
state have begun buckling up regularly.
"While we are very happy with actually surpassing 95 percent usage, that
still means that more than a million people are in real danger in the event of
a crash," said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety
(OTS). "It takes just two seconds to reduce your chances of dying in a crash
by half."
The Click It or Ticket campaign emphasizes the legal and monetary
consequences of not wearing seatbelts. While public awareness messages flood
the state through media, Caltrans highway signs and advertising, law
enforcement periodically ramps up special mobilizations to catch and cite
those not buckling up. Fines for first-time offenders can range up to over
$90, while tickets for improperly restraining children under age 16 can be
four times as much.
With the successes of the traditional Click It or Ticket campaign in May,
OTS officials are mounting the first ever Next Generation Click It or Ticket.
Similar to the mobilization leading into the summer travel season, the new
effort will kick off holiday driving by targeting the last two weeks of
November.
This latest announcement follows closely behind other good news for the
state's motorists. In the past month, 2007 vehicle fatality figures have been
released that show a decrease of 5.2 percent in total traffic fatalities and
6.7 percent decline in alcohol-related fatalities.
SOURCE California Office of Traffic Safety
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