Seat belt use reaches record high in Cass County

An observational survey by the North Dakota Department of Transportation finds 71.8 percent of Cass County residents wear their seat belts. That figure is an increase of 4.7 percent from last year and surpasses North Dakota’s use rate of 67.4 percent.

Residents on the other side of the river buckle up more often than those in Cass County. Clay County residents wear their seat belts 80 percent of the time, according to a survey conducted as part of Minnesota’s Safe and Sober grant. The figure matches Minnesota’s safety belt use rate and is slightly down from Clay County’s record of 81 percent.

Across the United States, 75 percent of Americans buckle up.

"Special seat belt patrols by local officers and an intense media campaign over the last year have reaped big rewards," said Robyn Litke, coordinator of the Safe Communities Coalition of the Red River Valley. "It appears more local residents are getting the message that buckling up decreases their risk of serious and even fatal injuries on the road."

The Safe Communities Coalition sponsors seat belt campaigns at local high schools and worksites, has developed a "buckle up" curriculum for children, gives safety belt presentations, advocates for better seat belt legislation, and supports law enforcement and national seat belt campaigns.