Buckling Under

After nearly 30 years, reaching for a seat belt has not become the routine habit of drivers that it ought to be.

Only New Mexico and California are strict about the practice, says a recent report by the National Safety Council titled "Mired in Mediocrity: A Nationwide Report Card on Driver and Passenger Safety."

In fact, just 11 states received decent marks in the survey. The majority of states were given grades of "C" or lower. (New Hampshire is the only state without a seat-belt requirement.)

Some good news: The study has prompted other states to get more serious about educating drivers and enforcing safety requirements. South Carolina, for instance, recently stepped up its public-education campaign and set up roadblocks during peak holiday-driving periods to check drivers and passengers - ticketing them if they're not using seat belts.

The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration used the roads in the largely rural state to test the "Click It or Ticket" campaign. It worked - 80 percent of drivers buckled up. But the program ended after some lawmakers said that personal freedoms were being violated.

No longer should individuals assume it's their personal choice to wear seat belts or not. If the laws in their states require them for safe driving, then drivers and passengers ought to develop the habit of using them. And states can help, by continuing to make sure they're taking steps to enforce the laws on their books.