NHTSA Reports Seat Belt Usage at All Time High
The national level of seat belt usage has risen to 86 percent.
Seat belt usage is at an all-time high, according to a Department of Transportation survey. According to the survey, the nationwide average has increased from 84 percent last year to 86 percent this year. This has been a vast improvement from 1994’s average of 58 percent.
"Thanks to the ongoing work of our state and local partners and national efforts such as 'Click it or Ticket,' we've made steady gains in belt use in recent years," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, in a statement on the NHTSA website. "Moving forward, it will be critical to build on this success using a multi-faceted approach that combines good laws, effective enforcement, and public education and awareness."
In the south, the average has risen to 85 percent this year from 80 percent last year.
According to NHSTA, 32 states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring primary seat belt usage.
Seventeen additional states have secondary seatbelt laws. The only state that does not have laws requiring seat belts is New Hampshire.