Safety belts saved 160,000 lives in US since 1960

Safety belts accounted for 160,000 or more than half of all lives saved in the United States by auto safety features adopted since 1960, a government analysis showed on Tuesday.

"Vehicle safety technology is truly a lifesaver, especially the simple safety belt," said Jeffrey Runge, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The analysis examined a range of safety features including belts, braking improvements, air bags, energy absorbing steering columns and child seats.

Regulators said overall safety improvements over the years have added about $840 to the cost of an average passenger car, often less expensive than some popular options like sun-roofs, leather seats or custom wheels.

"The industry complains about cost all the time," said Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator and currently president of consumer group Public Citizen. "If you look at the cost for all those safety standards, it's very small."

Most safety belt gains occurred in the late 1970s, when shoulder belts were introduced, and in 1980s and 1990s when states began adopting mandatory safety belt laws.

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have primary belt laws, which permit police to stop motorists solely for not wearing a seat belt.

The rest except New Hampshire, which does not have a seat belt law, allow authorities to ticket beltless drivers but only after pulling them over for another reason.

More than 42,000 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2003, according to the last available government figures.