CDC: Seat Belt Use Reaches 85 Percent

Recently, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released encouraging statistics regarding seatbelt usage. As a Chicago area personal injury lawyer, I am thrilled by the news that seatbelts are used by "nearly six in seven U.S. adults." (Atlanta AP, 1/14).

To put the results in perspective, 85 percent of adults said they wore seatbelts, which is up four percent from 2002, but is a dramatic increase from 1982 when only 11 percent of adults wore seatbelts. The first state law requiring seat belt use was passed after 1982, which kicked off the trend.

The CDC also reported Tuesday that there has been a marked " decline of more than 15 percent in non-fatal vehicle crash injuries from 2001 to 2009. The government previously reported traffic fatalities fell in 2009 to 33,808, the lowest number since 1950."

All statistics are pointing in the right direction, thanks, in large part, to the laws passed to make our highways safer.