Decrease in Illinois Traffic Accidents Attributed to Police Enforcement of Seat Belt Use
The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Traffic Safety is reporting that there were 484 motor vehicle fatalities on state roads between January through June 2008. This figure is 19% lower than the 598 deaths that occurred in Illinois during the same time period last year.
Also down is the number of teen traffic fatalities, with 39 deaths from January through June 2008 compared to the 82 deaths for the same time period last year. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich attributes this significant decrease to his administration’s new state teen driving laws, including Operation Teen Safe Driving (which promotes teens getting other teens to drive safely).
He also cited the state’s aggressive measures to enforce safety belt use as a reason that the number of traffic-related deaths in Illinois has decreased. Since the safety belt law allowing Illinois police to pull motorists over for their failure to wear seat belts came into effect in July 2003, safety belt use has risen—with 90.5% usage by motorists and passengers riding in the front seat for the second year in a row.
More IDOT Traffic Statistics for January – June 2008:
• 54 motorcycle deaths (compared to 65 fatalities during the first 6 months of 2007)
• 54 highway deaths (down from 72 deaths during the same time period the year prior)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that there were 1,249 motor vehicle deaths in Illinois in 2007, a slight decrease from the 1,254 traffic deaths in 2006. 434 of these deaths involved alcohol.
Governor Blagojevich announces safety belt use tops 90 percent for second straight year, Dot.St.Ill.US, July 15, 2008
Governor Blagojevich and Ford Motor Co. launch statewide campaign to reduce teen
crashes and save lives, DrivingSkillsForLife.com
Related Web Resources:
lllinois Department of Transportation
Initiatives to Address Safety Belt Use, NHTSA (PDF)
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