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Nearly half who died in AZ highway fatal crashes in 2023 weren't wearing seat belts

As of April 23, Arizona state troopers had investigated over 100 deadly crashes on highways and interstates since the year began and found that 41 of those killed were not wearing seat belts. 

The Arizona Department of Public Safety has been given a  $20,000 grant to conduct a short-term campaign. Bart Graves is the agency’s spokesperson.

“The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety as they have in previous years are specifically funding special enforcement details and overtime costs to allow troopers to really enforce, across the state, Arizona’s mandatory seat belt law," Graves said.

The  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says seat belts reduce the risk of serious crash-related injuries and fatalities  by about 50%.

Jill Ryan joined KJZZ in 2020 as a morning reporter, and she is currently a field correspondent and Morning Edition producer.