By MIKE SMITH

AP Political Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — People in Indiana are buckling up in record numbers, with 91.2 percent of drivers and passengers wearing their seat belts, according to a recent observational survey.

That top’s last year’s record of 88.4 percent, according to results released Monday by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. Meanwhile, traffic fatalities are down by 25 percent from Jan. 1 through July 21 over the same period a year ago.

“These numbers are extremely impressive and speak to the level of importance Hoosiers are putting on their safety,” T. Neil Moore, executive director of the institute, said of the increased seat belt use. “This data is a strong indicator of the remarkable strides that we are all making to save lives in Indiana.”

Seven former police officers in different regions of the state observed nearly 17,000 vehicles and more than 19,000 occupants between June 2-8, said institute spokeswoman Mica Perry. The survey followed this past May’s “Click it or Ticket” campaign — two weeks of stepped up efforts by police to enforce Indiana’s seat belt law.

The highest rate of seat belt use — more than 95 percent — was among female drivers and passengers. The percentage among males observed was about 88 percent.

The surveys also showed that seat belt use among those in pickups jumped to more than 79 percent this year, an increase of 14 percentage points over last year.

A state law that took effect in July 2007 requires almost everyone to wear seat belts, including those riding in back seats or traveling in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.

Indiana’s previous law required only front-seat passengers and children under age 16 to wear seat belts, and young children to be in child-restraint seats. Adults were not required to buckle up in vehicles registered as trucks.

The 2007 law still allows police to pull over vehicles solely for seat belt violations, but it no longer allows checkpoints to be used to determine compliance.

Statistics released Monday also showed 121 fewer traffic fatalities in Indiana from Jan. 1 through July 21 than the same period a year ago, about a 25 percent drop. There were 494 traffic deaths during that time frame last year, and 373 this year.

Perry said the agency was reluctant to attribute the decline to any one thing. She said high gasoline prices leading to a presumed decline in driving might have something to do with it, but other variables could be considered such as the tougher seat belt law and federally funded enforcement efforts.

Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer miles in May 2008 than in May 2007, according to federal data released Monday. The 3.7 percent decline was the third largest monthly drop in the 66 years the Department of Transportation has been collecting the data.

The May decline also is the seventh monthly drop in a row. Since November 2007, Americans have driven 40.5 billion fewer miles compared to the same period a year earlier.

Posted 7/30/2008