LINCOLN - The Nebraska Department of Transportation reports 17 traffic fatalities in December bringing the state’s total to 251 for the year.

Six of the 16 fatalities were not using seatbelts and seven had seatbelt usage marked as unknown. Eleven of the fatalities were in rural areas.

The number of December fatalities is down slightly from 2023, when there were 19. Only 56 of the 194 vehicle occupants killed during 2024 were using seatbelts.