76% of January Road Fatalities in Iowa Did not Wear Seatbelts

The Iowa Department of Public Safety says 76 percent of motorists who died on the state’s roads in January were not wearing seatbelts.

In a news release, officials say that is up significantly from the five-year annual average of less than 32 percent.

Larry Sauer of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau says the numbers prove that seatbelts save lives.

Officials say as many as 93 percent of Iowans do wear seatbelts when they travel, resulting in 24 lives saved in January. Officials say seatbelts saved 184 lives in 2010.

Iowa State Patrol Col. Patrick Hoye says the number of deaths where no seatbelt was used should make clear the importance of wearing seatbelts.