NATCHEZ &8212; Last year, 931 people died on Mississippi roadways. In Louisiana, 955 died.

And the vast majority of those deaths can be attributed to one of three things, law enforcement officials said.

&8220;Without fail, the three main factors in fatalities are seat belts, alcohol and fatigue,&8221; said Sgt. Markus Smith, of the Louisiana State Police public affairs unit.

&8220;Even in alcohol crashes, if these people would just wear their seat belts, they&8217;d be OK,&8221; he said.

According to statistics from the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration for 2005, 52.5 percent of fatal accidents in Louisiana involved drivers and passengers who were not wearing seat belts.

In Mississippi, 73.4 percent of fatalities involved unrestrained drivers and passengers.

Warren Strain, director of Public Affairs for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said though the state has increased seat belt emphasis and ticketing, only 73 percent of the state&8217;s residents are listening.

&8220;The most common and simplest thing we can do is fasten our seat belt,&8221; he said.

&8220;Use that three to four seconds to put it on.&8221;

Natchez Police Chief Mike Mullins said seat belts don&8217;t always prevent death, but often are lifesavers.

Locally, one fatality occurred on City of Natchez roads in 2005, and one occurred on Adams County roads.

From 2000 to 2004 seven fatalities occurred in the city limits.

Numbers are higher in the county, with 31 fatalities from 2000 to 2004.

County numbers have declined in the last two years, but Sheriff Ronny Brown said the drop couldn&8217;t be attributed to any preventative measures.

&8220;Most of the accidents are related to speed and people not paying attention to what they are doing,&8221; he said.

Inattentive driving plays a part in many accidents, officials said.

This includes everything from changing the radio and talking on cell phones to eating and putting on makeup in the car, Strain said.

And fatal accidents most often affect drivers ages 25-34, and more males than females, Smith said.

Of Louisiana&8217;s 955 accidents in 2005, 172 of the fatalities fell in the 25-34 age group.