Wayne County selected as seat belt survey site
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on June 8, 2008 2:00 AM
Wayne County is among 15 of the state's counties selected as a seat belt survey county.
The National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) selected the counties for the survey, which will help determine North Carolina's overall seat belt usage rate. NHTSA's survey county selection is based on population, demographic and time/day requirements.
Surveyors will be in the area throughout the month of June tracking seat belt usage among Wayne motorists.
In 2007, NHTSA reported that North Carolina's seat belt usage rate was 88.8 percent, its highest rate ever.
Wayne County's usage rate for drivers was 90.4 percent and 90 for passengers. North Carolina law requires that all motor vehicle occupants, including back seat passengers buckle up.
The N.C. Governor's Highway Safety Program celebrated the 15th anniversary of the "Click It or Ticket" campaign in May, which is aimed at increasing seat belt usage and child passenger safety through stepped-up enforcement of the state's seat belt and child safety seat laws.
Other survey counties in-clude: Alamance, Buncombe, Burke, Craven, Cumberland, Gaston, Granville, New Han-over, Mecklenburg, Pitt, Robeson, Stanly, Wake and Wilkes.