The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that the national seat-belt use rate has increased from 73 percent in 2001 to 75 percent in 2002.
In response to the announcement, Chuck Hurley, executive director of the Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign of the National Safety Council, stated: “This is good news for the safety of Americans. A 2-percentage-point increase in belt use represents continued steady upward movement. It means thousands of needless deaths and injuries will be prevented. We’ve come a long way since 1996 when seat-belt use was at 61 percent.”
