The first-ever national report card on vehicle safety from the National Safety Council gives 19 states Ds and Fs for driver and passenger safety. States that score the highest, such as California, achieved success through strong seat belt laws that are strictly enforced, according to the Council. As a whole, the report calls the nation's performance "unacceptable”.
"The U.S. ranks behind virtually every other developed country when it comes to seat belt use, " says Alan McMillan, president of the National Safety Council. "We are killing kids and destroying families on our highways."