SAFETY WATCH : Holiday Reminder

“I thought I was going to die,” Bobby Hurley said of his Dec. 12 auto accident. The point guard for the Sacramento Kings basketball team was not wearing a seat belt when he was thrown from his vehicle into a ditch. Hurley was severely injured and, doctors say, will be off the court for about nine months.

It is unfortunate that the former Duke University star, who helped guide the Blue Devils to two college basketball championships, was not one of the record number of Americans who regularly buckled up this year. The U.S. Transportation Department said seat belt use rose to a record 66% of all drivers and passengers, up from 62% in 1992 and 59% in 1991.

The increase in 1993 meant 500 more lives saved and more than 14,000 serious injuries avoided, experts estimate. That saved American society more than $1 billion in health care and other costs, the department said.

Tougher state seat belt laws have helped. North Carolina, for example, has aggressively pursued its “click it or ticket” enforcement policy. In California, a tougher law allows law enforcement officers to stop a motorist simply for not wearing a seat belt.

Transportation Secretary Federico Pena’s goal is to boost seat belt use to 75% of all drivers and passengers by 1997. Using safety belts can double an individual’s chance of surviving a crash.

Had he worn a seat belt, Hurley might be back with the Kings now. His accident should be an off-court lesson for both him and his fans. Buckle up any time you are in a car, regardless of how short the drive.