COLUMBIA - Supporters of a new law that requires all drivers and passengers to wear seat belts say fewer people have died on the state's roads as a result.

State Public Safety Department statistics show that for the first five months of the year, 68 fewer traffic deaths were reported in the state compared with the same period in 2005.

'You pass a strong seat-belt law and you save lives - it's not rocket science,' said state Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Columbia, a longtime proponent of the law.

Anyone not buckling up can now be stopped for the offense in South Carolina and issued a $25 ticket.

Highway officials say a detailed study of this year's accidents would be required to say for sure whether a change in seat-belt usage led to fewer fatalities, but that it's likely.

'The only thing that's different this year is the new seat-belt law,' said Bob Lee, federal highway administration manager for South Carolina.

The state also got a one-time federal grant of $10.5 million as a result of the stronger seat-belt enforcement.

Suggestions for how to spend the money include Global Positioning System-equipped computers for patrol cars, education for officers on how to avoid racial profiling, or installing in-car police cameras.

Federal officials must give final approval to how the money is spent.