Sept. 8 - State traffic safety officials announced last week 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."
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.
"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."
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.
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