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First, a few words on road safety: What portion of Americans killed in vehicle crashes are not wearing seatbelts?

I was stunned by the answer when I saw it yesterday. It has hovered between 48 percent and 51 percent in each of the past five years.

For many people, a seatbelt has become second nature. They can’t imagine traveling without one — or even allowing someone riding in their car to do so. But lack of seatbelt use remains a major public-health problem in this country. About 15 percent of American drivers don’t wear one, compared with less than 5 percent in several European countries.