Remember that old jingle to promote seatbelt use, "Buckle up for safety, buckle up!"

Well, it seems more and more of us are taking that advice to heart, according to state transportation officials. The Illinois Department of Transportation reports the number of motorists and front seat passengers who wear seatbelts has reached almost 93 percent.

What does that mean? Well, it probably means fewer of us are being killed in crashes on Illinois roads. Overall number of fatalities on Illinois roads is down by 16.8 percent on a provisional basis for the first six months of 2010; from 434 in 2009, to 361 in 2010, according to IDOT.

The 93 percent seatbelt compliance is pretty good, especially considering how many people used seatbelts before it became mandatory in 2004. According to IDOT slightly more than 76 percent used seatbelts.

Seatbelt use figures have been creeping up incrementaly ever since. And with it, the numbers of fatalities as also dropped. There are a number of factors for that, of course, like fewer miles driven, tougher DUI laws, etc. But seatbelt use must surely be considered when making that life-saving calculation.