Law Enforcement To Encourage Seat Belt Use In February

The Oregon State Police will partner with local law enforcement agencies this month in an effort to encourage safety belt use.  A statewide observation survey last June found 98 percent of the state’s motorists routinely used safety belts, but Oregon Department of Transportation crash data reveals a belt use rate of only 62 percent among those killed in motor vehicle accidents last year.  Among those killed or injured were 938 children under the age of eight, and a third of them were riding unrestrained or in the wrong type of safety restraint for their size.  Increased enforcement efforts begin on Monday and run through February 22.