Louisiana Lowest in Seat-Belt Use, Safety Commission Says

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Commission says Louisiana drivers are less likely to buckle up than drivers in any other state that has primary seat-belt enforcement laws.

Last year, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission reported around 75 percent of drivers in Louisiana wore a seat belt.

Spokeswoman Jamie Ainsworth said that number has remained relatively unchanged since 2006.

Louisiana is one of 26 states to have a primary enforcement law, which allows officers to stop and ticket drivers solely for not wearing a seat belt.

Before Louisiana’s primary enforcement law was instituted in 1999, Ainsworth said only 38 percent of the state’s drivers used seat belts. When the law was passed, that number quickly jumped to 60 percent.

Information from: The Advocate, www.2theadvocate.com