Seat Belt Use Up Again in Illinois

Dave Dahl -- Illinois Radio Network

If you do not buckle up when you're in the car, you're in a small, small group.

Front-seat safety belt usage in Illinois is up to 95.2 percent, up from 94.1 percent a year ago. Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Brian Williamsen says in addition to awareness efforts, elevating the seat belt law to primary enforcement – that is, the police can pull you over and ticket you simply for that – takes the credit.

“Since 2003, that usage rate went up from 76.2 percent. That's a 19 (percentage point) increase in about twelve years since the passage of the primary seat belt law,” Williamsen says.

Researchers eyeballed 155,175 drivers and front-seat passengers to create what Williamsen says is a reliable, representative sample of the state.