Night Crash Data Show Seat Belts Save Young Lives

WASHINGTON - More than two-thirds of young drivers and passengers killed in nighttime car crashes are not wearing seat belts - deadly proof of what can happen when young people do not heed parents' pleas and authorities' threats to "click it."

Although 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 seat belt use rose to 82 percent last year, up 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 below 70 percent: Arkansas, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

However, the news was hardly all encouraging. Sixty-eight percent of drivers and passengers between the ages of 16 and 20 who were killed in night car crashes in 2006 were unbuckled, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. During day hours, 57 percent of the young motorists and passengers killed were not wearing seat belts.

That portion of the study focused on 2006 data and did not evaluate other years.

The problem is not just with teens. The percentage of unbuckled drivers and passengers is up in the 60s through the age of 44. It declines to 52 percent for people 55 to 64 years old and 41 percent for those older than that.

Safety officials say they are emphasizing seat belt use by young people between the ages of 16 and 20 during this year's "Click It or Ticket" publicity campaign through June 1. Police say they will issue tickets to motorists who fail to wear seat belts, a message that will be supported by a $7.5 million advertising campaign.

NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason said teens often bring a "combination of inexperience and fearlessness" when they fail to buckle up. "It's a deadly combination."