Holiday Traffic Deaths Decline By 10

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The number of traffic fatalities during the Christmas holiday weekend is down by ten this year.<br/><br/>The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says seven people were killed on the state's

Wednesday, December 27th 2006, 9:08 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The number of traffic fatalities during the Christmas holiday weekend is down by ten this year.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says seven people were killed on the state's roadways from Friday through Monday compared to 17 during the holiday weekend last year.

OHP Captain Chris West says one reason for the decline is an increase in the use of seat belts. The number of Oklahoma motorists who wear their seat belts is estimated at 82 percent -- up from less than 50 percent ten years ago.

West says four of the seven killed during the weekend weren't wearing a seat belt.

For the year the OHP says as of yesterday 726 people have died in traffic accidents in the state. That's down by 57 from 783 traffic fatalities at the same point in 2005.