Patrol reminder: Buckle up

After three people died over the weekend of injuries suffered in vehicle crashes, the Nebraska State Patrol issued a reminder to wear seat belts.

On Friday, a 42-year-old Chapman woman died in a two-vehicle crash. On Saturday, a 34-year-old Crookston man died in a rollover crash in Cherry County. And on Sunday, a 40-year-old Lincoln woman died from injuries she received in a rollover crash on Sept. 27.

None of the three wore a seat belt.

"We are saddened by the loss of any life on our roadways," said Major Russ Stanczyk, the patrol's field services commander.

"While statistics tell us more drivers are buckling up these days, we continue to see fatal crashes in which seat belts were not in use."

Statistics from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety indicate that the chances of surviving a crash improve by up to 50 percent when seat belts are worn. According to the department, the observed safety belt use rate in Nebraska so far in 2009 is 86 percent, compared with 83 percent in 2008.