Rate of alcohol-related crashes higher in Havre area

Alcohol was more likely to contribute to automobile crashes in Hill and Blaine counties than in Montana as a whole last year, according to state officials.

And while the Montana Highway Patrol's annual report said statewide seat belt use continued to inch upward in 2003, a Montana Department of Transportation official said seat belt use in Havre and other rural areas continues to lag behind that in larger Montana cities.

Jack Williams, research and evaluation supervisor for the MDT's state Traffic Safety Office, said Blaine and Hill counties both had higher rates of alcohol involvement than th...