Drivers on Montana's seven reservations don't like to buckle up, according to a study from the state Transportation Department

On the Fort Belknap Reservation, as many as 90 percent of drives don't wear seat belts. Nearly half of emergency room visits were motor vehicle related.

On the Fort Peck Reservation, the tribes spent almost half of their $5.4 million health care budget last year on car wreck patients, The Wotanin Wowapi newspaper reported. The Blackfeet Nation has already seen one highway traffic fatality in 2006.

The state has launched a campaign in the Great Falls area to urge Indians to buckle up. The project could expand to target all the reservations.

Get the Story:
Campaign fights low seat belt use (The Great Falls Tribune 1/11)

Related Stories:
Study finds low seat belt usage among tribes (10/07)
Bush signs major highway bill with tribal funds (8/11)
Domenici: $1.86B for Indian Reservation Roads (8/3)
Indian highway death rate still surpasses nation (08/11)
Tribes seek improvements for reservation roads (07/22)
CDC calls attention to health disparities in U.S. (02/09)
Advocates seek boost for Indian Country roads (03/28)