RALEIGH — State Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett announced today that North Carolina's seat belt usage rate has reached its highest to date. According to an annual survey, the state's usage rate increased to 89.8 percent, a 4 percent increase since 2005 and above the national rate of 82 percent.

"More North Carolinians are getting the message and buckling up," Tippett said. "Continued education and enforcement through our 'Click It or Ticket' initiative has truly made a difference in our state. I urge those who still choose to remain unbuckled to take five seconds prior to each trip and buckle up, it could save your life."

The N.C. Governor's Highway Safety Program administers "Click It or Ticket." The program began as a national pilot project in 1993 to increase seat belt usage and child passenger safety through stepped-up enforcement of the state's seat belt and child safety seat laws. The state's usage rate was 65 percent when the program began 15 years ago. In 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration adopted the campaign as a national model that is now used in more than 40 states.

According to NHTSA, results are tabulated from probability-based observational surveys, all of which follow established criteria. NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis verifies that all states comply with the standard each year.

Last year in North Carolina alone, there were 1,706 traffic-related fatalities and 744 of those were unrestrained drivers or passengers.

For more information regarding GHSP or the "Click It or Ticket" program, visit the GHSP Web site: www.ncdot.org/programs/GHSP/

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