(Recasts paragraph 1. adds rise in child deaths, 8)
DETROIT, April 23 (Reuters) - Deaths from U.S. road accidents rose to the highest level in more than a decade last year as alcohol abuse and widespread failure to use seat belts contributed to some 42,850 fatalities, federal safety regulators said on Wednesday.
Nearly a quarter of the deaths, or 10,626, occurred in rollover crashes involving highly popular sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a report.
It said the deadly rollovers, involving vehicles that account for most of the profits made by Detroit's automakers, were up 4.9 percent over 2001.
The total number of highway deaths rose just 1.7 percent from 42,116 in 2001, according to the NHTSA, which said the rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled remained essentially unchanged. But it was the highest total since 44,599 people died in highway crashes in 1990.
"The grim statistics underscore the need for better state laws that address the causes of the problem and stricter enforcement," the agency said.
It said alcohol-related fatalities, which have been rising steadily since 1999, increased again in 2002 and accounted for 42 percent of accident deaths.
Fifty-nine percent of those killed in crashes last year were not belted, it added.
In another disturbing trend, the report said the number of occupant fatalities among children between 8 and 15 rose nearly 9 percent in 2002.
Motorcycle fatalities rose 3 percent, meanwhile, posting their fifth consecutive yearly increase. But deaths among riders who were 50 or older jumped 24 percent, NHTSA said.