The California Office of Traffic Safety has released its annual seatbelt usage data for the state of California. While the rest of the state is buckling up like never before, the Los Angeles area seems to be lagging behind.

According to the data, overall seat belt usage rates in California are approximately 96.6%. That is a record for the Golden State, and an accomplishment that Los Angeles car accident lawyers are definitely proud of. After all, California's seatbelt usage rates are some of the highest in the country. More numbers of drivers who are buckled in safely simply mean more drivers who enjoy basic protection against severe injuries.

However, when it comes to the Los Angeles area, seatbelt usage rates decline to just about 95.6%. A 95% seatbelt usage rate may seem good enough, but the California Office of Traffic Safety doesn't think so. The agency has set a goal of requiring every person who gets into a car to buckle up. According to the agency, 100% seatbelt usage rates could result in as many as 1,000 lives being saved in accidents every year.

The need for Los Angeles motorists to wear seatbelts is even more severe now, because of the increased number of motorists on our streets. You need to buckle up every time you step into a car, but during the holiday season, when your risks of an accident are at their highest, it’s even more imperative that you and everyone else in your car wear safety restraints. It takes barely a couple of seconds to buckle up, but it could save your life. Even in moderate impact accidents, wearing a seatbelt dramatically reduces your risk of suffering serious injuries.

Most motorists in California are concerned about other motorists being distracted while driving, and specifically using cell phones while driving. According to a survey by the California Office of Traffic Safety, distracted driving is the number one traffic safety fear for most California drivers, much more than aggressive driving, speeding or drunk driving.

According to the survey, 39% of drivers cited distracted driving as a major safety problem on the roads. That was a dramatic increase from previous years. In 2010, drivers believed that speeding and aggressive driving were the biggest problems, with 22% of the drivers voicing such opinions. That was followed by using cell phones and texting while driving, and 80% of drivers were concerned about these practices. However, in 2011, the number of people who fear speeding and aggressive driving by motorists has dropped to 18%, while the number of persons who fear intoxicated drivers has dropped to 13%.

What Los Angeles car accident lawyers find really ironic is that distracted driving is the number one safety concern for teen and young drivers - a category of drivers that is at the highest risk for cell phone use while driving. Younger drivers are much more concerned about the risks of drunk driving. Older motorists, on the other hand, seem to be more concerned about cell phone use while driving.

Law enforcement in California will confirm that hand-held cell phone use in and around the state is high in spite of the ban on the use of hand-held cell phones. This is also in spite of the fact that there are a number of technological aids that are available to ensure that drivers do not have to use a handheld device while driving in order to remain in touch.