More Mainers are buckling up while behind the wheel.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belt use in Maine rose to 83 percent of drivers last year.
That was up from 79.8 percent in 2007. Five years ago, Maine’s seat belt use was about 72 percent.
Nationally, seat belt use climbed to 83 percent in 2008, an all-time high.
Fourteen states had rates of 90 percent or better, and three states had rates under 70 percent.
Several states, including Maine, have passed tougher seat belt laws that allow law enforcement officers to stop motorists whose sole offense was failing to buckle up.
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