Buckled, Older and Safer

California motorists reached a remarkable plateau in safety last month, with 90.3% of drivers and passengers wearing their seat belts, according to a statewide survey. The figure is even more impressive in relation to the country as a whole; federal officials estimate that nationally an underwhelming 69% of drivers and passengers buckle up.

This report comes on the heels of the sensational news that fewer people died on the state’s roads in 1997 than in any other year since 1959. Bear in mind that there were fewer than 7.8 million registered vehicles in California that year, compared with more than 25.7 million last year.

The decline in fatalities is laid to an older driving population and motor vehicle design improvements such as air bags and belts. Strict enforcement of tougher drunk driving laws has helped too.

California is also one of only 14 states and the District of Columbia where authorities can write citations for seat belt violations when no other regulation has been broken. Other developments that should further reduce vehicular injuries and fatalities here and around the nation include sensible new restrictions on young drivers. Drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 are involved in 14% of all fatal accidents, even though they account for less than 7% of all licensed motorists.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board has begun a study that could lead to a call for seat belts on all new school buses. That would be a safety bonus for the 25 million schoolchildren nationwide who travel by bus.

Buckled-up Californians have set an excellent national example in driving safety, which if pursued through summer vacation season and beyond could save countless lives.