Fatality statistics point to failure to use seat belts

WASHINGTON – More than two-thirds of young drivers and passengers killed in nighttime car crashes aren’t wearing seat belts – deadly proof of what can happen when young people don’t heed parents’ pleas and authorities’ threats to “click it.”

Though seat belt use is rising slightly nationwide, fatality figures published Monday offered a somber contrast as law enforcement launched its annual pre-Memorial Day drive to persuade Americans to buckle up.

Total belt use rose to 82 percent last year – from 81 percent in 2006 – the government said. Twelve states had rates of 90 percent or better, led by Hawaii and Washington. Only three were more than 70 percent: Arkansas, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

But not all the news was encouraging.

Sixty-eight percent of drivers and passengers between ages 16 and 20 who were killed in car crashes at night in 2006 were unbuckled, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. During daytime, 57 percent of the young motorists and passengers who were killed were not wearing seat belts.

The problem isn’t just with teens. The percentage of unbuckled drivers and passengers who died at night is well up in the 60s through the age of 44. It declines to 52 percent for people 55-64 and 41 percent for those older than that.