California Seat Belt Usage Reaches New Record High

Nearly All of Golden State's Drivers and Passengers Buckling Up

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 5 -- State traffic safety officials today announced that seat belt use in California 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.