IL safety belt usage up

July 23, 2009 The Illinois Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Safety says safety belt use has reached a new record high of 91.7 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of traffic fatalities on Illinois roads so far in 2009 is down 10.3 percent. The increase in safety belt usage is in part attributed to IDOT's, Click it or Ticket media campaigns.

IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig says the numbers are evidence that safety belt use has a positive impact on accident fatality rates.