Iowa seat-belt usage at all-time high

By Rod Boshart

Des Moines Bureau

DES MOINES – Seat-belt compliance among Iowa drivers and passengers is at an all-time high.

Eugene Meyer, commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety, said Monday the number of Iowans who wear seat belts continues to increase. Preliminary results of this year's statewide seat belt survey indicated 93.1 percent compliance with the seat-belt law, topping the previous high off 92.9 percent posted in 2008.

The increase translates into about 5,000 more vehicle occuplants wearing seat belts when they travel, he said.

“Putting on a seat belt is such an easy thing to do, and that simple action saves thousands of lives,” Meyer said in a statement. “I'm proud the State of Iowa continues to be a leader in the Midwest and the nation in seat belt use.”

The survey, administered by the state Department of Transportation's office of driver services and conducted by the Iowa State Patrol, involved about 100 sites around Iowa and included more than 11,000 observations of drivers and front-seat passengers.

The increased emphasis on seat-belt usage in June by law enforcement officers contributed to a decline in the number of traffic-related fatalities that month, said Col. Patrick Hoye, chief of the Iowa State Patrol. He said state troopers increased their seat-belt citations 51 percent in June over those written one year earlier.

DOT statistics indicate that 35 people died in traffic mishaps on Iowa roadways in June compared to 43 deaths for June 2008.

Overall, the current 2009 traffic death toll of 230 in Iowa is running ahead of last year's pace. The 412 fatalities on Iowa highways in 2008 marked the third lowest yearly fatality count since World War II, according to officials at the Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau.

Contact the writer: (515) 243-7220 or rod.boshart@gazcomm.com