A record number of Kansans are using their seat belts this year.

A new study found that seat-belt use in Kansas was 81.8 percent

this year, an increase of almost 5 percentage points over last

year. That’s the biggest increase since 1993.

Kansas Transportation Secretary Deb Miller says the increase is

gratifying, but the percentage is still too low.

The Kansas City Star reports that state traffic safety experts

believe a new state law that allows officers to stop drivers for

not wearing seat belts contributed to the increase. They are

expecting another increase next year as the new law is more widely

enforced.

The state says that between 30 percent and 40 percent of the

drivers killed on Kansas roads each year aren’t wearing seat belts.