SELMA, Ala. (AP) -- Gov. Robert Bentley helped kick off a statewide campaign on Tuesday advocating for seatbelt use by Alabama residents.
The program started on Monday and runs through June 3.
Bentley will join state troopers at the Selma Trooper Post of the Alabama Department of Public Safety to kick off the campaign. The five counties covered by the Selma Trooper Post rank above the state average in traffic fatalities where people did not wear seat belts.
Alabama law requires drivers and front seat passengers to wear seatbelts while on the road.
The Huntsville Times reports that seatbelts saved 12,546 lives alone nationwide in 2012.