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Traffic Safety Bureau: 93 percent of Iowans buckling up
Traffic safety officials say seat belt use in Iowa has risen to 93 percent from about 18 percent in 1985, the year before the state's seat belt law took effect.
The Des Moines Register reports that in September 1986, 46 percent of Iowans were following the new law. The figure rose to 61 percent by 1990 and about 78 percent by 2000.
Mark Nagel with the Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau says 2011's average figure of 93 percent across Iowa is about 9 percentage points higher than one survey's national average.
Failing to buckle up in Iowa is a "primary" violation for which an officer can pull over a vehicle.
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