It's been 30 years since Illinois' mandatory seatbelt law took effect. The latest numbers estimate that 95 percent of the state's motorists are using their safety belts. The goal is to try to persuade that other five percent:
State Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn says males in their early 20's are primarily the ones who still don't buckle up.
The latest social media effort from IDOT is a campaign called "Driving Dead". It's based on the show The Walking Dead and uses one of its lead actors. Blankenhorn says the online effort is pulling in a lot of views:
"I think we're seeing that people are at least looking and that's the first step for getting them to act."
Illinois' statistics are based on an annual survey of front seat occupants. A similar survey of those riding in back seats of cars is due this fall. The state has required seat belt usage for those in back seats since 2012.
An earlier ranking showed Illinois #7 in the country in the percentage of those wearing seat belts.
