Mass. has lowest rate of seat belt use in the nation

WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts is in last place in the nation when it comes to seat belt use.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says seat belt use climbed to 83 percent overall in 2008, the highest level ever. But Bay State residents are buckling up at a 66.8 percent rate. That's actually down from the 2007 rate by nearly 2 percent.

Michigan and Hawaii had the highest seat belt use rate.

The government highway deaths dropped to their lowest level in about five decades last year, as the economy and the high price of gas kept many people off the roads.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)