Gov. Bill Janklow is reminding all motorists to buckle up and to make sure that children are properly fastened into child safety seats whenever they travel. Last year, there were 149 traffic crashes during the Memorial Day weekend in South Dakota, with 68 people injured and one fatality. From January through April this year, there have been 33 occupants of motor vehicles killed in traffic crashes in South Dakota, and only 3 of those were restrained by a lap and shoulder harness. A statewide safety belt use survey conducted in November of 1998 indicated that approximately forty-four percent of front seat motor vehicle occupants in South Dakota used safety belts.
State law requires that they use seat belts.