Hawai'i's seat belt usage tops the nation again and more people are buckling up here then ever before, the state Department of Transportation said yesterday.

During the recent "Click it or Ticket" campaign in May, seat belt usage was at 97.9 percent, the highest rate in the nation and the best rate the state has recorded. In 2008, seat belt usage in Hawai'i was 97 percent, according to the Transporta-tion Department.

The state traditionally has had a high compliance rate with seat belt laws and transportation officials credit programs such as the Click it or Ticket for this.

"We would like to think that it's because of our aggressive outreach programs to educate the people on the law, and also our collaboration with the county police departments on enforcement and our partners like the Department of Health and local hospitals on educating the public on the consequences of not wearing seat belts," said Brennon Morioka, state transportation director. "But ultimately it is a driver's choice, and we're glad that more and more are choosing to use seat belts."

Maui County led the state at 98.4 percent, followed by Kaua'i County (98.3 percent), Hawai'i County (98.1 percent) and Honolulu County (97.7 percent).

The Click it or Ticket campaign ran May 10 to May 31 and is a statewide effort by the Transportation Department and county police departments to encourage motorists and passengers to buckle up. During that period, police issued 2,456 citations, down from the 4,387 tickets in 2008.

The law requires that all front seat passengers wear a seat belt and backseat passengers under 18 to buckle up. Failure to comply will result in a $92 fine.

Last year, there were 59 traffic fatalities statewide and 30 of the victims were not wearing seat belts, according to the Transporta-tion Department. Twenty-four of the victims were restrained, while it was not known if seat belts were worn in five of the deaths.

Police in May also cracked down on drivers who did not comply with the state's child safety restraint law. In May, police issued 159 citations statewide, a drop from last year's 290 citations.

Children under 4 are required to be in a child safety seat, while children from 4 to 8 years must be in a child safety seat or booster seat. Those who violate the law are required to attend a four-hour class and may be fined $100 to $500.