Changes in state laws continue to portend better auto safety and security, according to a recent investment bank report.
Four states have passed new safety belt use, affecting 13 percent of the population, noted Morgan Stanley property casualty analyst William Wilt. His comments were based on data in the Institute of Highway Safety report on state laws impacting auto safety.
"We think this will be helpful in controlling severity," he wrote.
But there still remains room for improvement.
"Large portions of the driving population reside in states where the local laws fall below the institute's top ranking," Mr. Wilt wrote.
But in other areas, legislative activity slowed in regard to auto safety.
"Graduated licensing laws slowed, and it looks like there have been no DUI/DWI laws passed in two years," he wrote.
Mr. Wilt also said the fact that a declining percentage of population lives in states that fall into the Institute's two lowest categories could impede efforts by policymakers in those states to motivate them to change.
Nonetheless, he said, the favorable trend in auto frequency derives from numerous other social, demographic and engineering factors.
So while the institute data is just one of many factors, "it nevertheless is an important metric to watch," Mr. Wilt said.
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