Traffic safety is an immense challenge in California, where 4,000 are killed and 300,000 injured on roadways each year. But California’s safety belt usage ranks near the top in the United States, hitting a high of 92.5 percent in 2005 (up from 90.4 percent in 2004, and significantly higher than the 82 percent national average). Alcohol-related fatalities have dropped dramatically (to slightly above 1,600) from a peak of 2,961 in 1987, and the proportion of speed-related collisions has also declined.