NHTSA 06-08
Contact: Rae Tyson, Tel.: (202) 366-9550
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Seat Belt use Hits Record Level in 2008
WASHINGTON – More Americans are buckling up than
ever before, with 83 percent of vehicle occupants using seatbelts during
daylight hours, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced today.
In 2007, 82 percent used seat belts.
“More and more Americans are realizing that the mere seconds it takes to buckle
up can mean the difference between life and death,” Secretary Peters said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that
approximately 270 lives are saved for every one percent increase in belt use.
Acting NHTSA Administrator David Kelly said a contributing factor for such
historically high seat belt use is high-visibility law enforcement efforts, such
as the Department’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
“We are committed to supporting state and local law enforcement in their
front-line efforts to encourage belt use,” Kelly said.
According to the report, 84 percent of passenger car occupants are buckling up.
Even more people, 86 percent, are buckling up in vans and SUVs while pickup
truck occupants buckled up 74 percent of the time.
The report finds that safety belt use increased or remained level in every
region of the country, with the highest use being reported in the West (93
percent), and the lowest in the Midwest and Northeast (79 percent). The South
reported 81 percent.
The report reveals that states with primary belt laws are averaging about 13
percentage points higher for seat belt use (88 percent) than states with
secondary laws (75 percent). In primary belt law states, officers can issue a
citation for a seat-belt violation alone. In secondary law states, seat belt
citations are allowed only after a stop for another violation.
The report also notes that belt use on expressways is now at an estimated 90
percent while belt use on lower-speed “surface” streets remains at 80 percent.
Seat belt use and other data are collected annually by NHTSA as part of the
National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS). The latest survey, conducted in
June of 2008, involved daylight observations of vehicle occupant behavior at
more than 1800 sites nationwide.
To see the latest seat belt report, click on the link below:
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811036.PDF
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