Seat-belt use in the United states has risen to a record 83% in daylight hours this year, up from 82% last year, the Department of Transportation said Wednesday.
“More and more Americans are realizing that the mere seconds it takes to buckle up can mean the difference between life and death,” Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that about 270 lives are saved for every 1% increase in belt use, DOT said. NHTSA is part of DOT.
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 DOT-backed “Click It or Ticket” national campaign.
“We are committed to supporting state and local law enforcement in their front-line efforts to encourage belt use,” Kelly said.
The report said that 84% of passenger car occupants are buckling up. About 86% were buckling up in vans and SUVs while pickup truck occupants buckled up 74% of the time.
The report said seat belt use increased or remained level in every region of the country, with the highest use being reported in the West, at 93%, and the lowest in the Midwest and Northeast, at 79%. The South reported 81% usage.
It also said belt use on expressways was estimated at 90%, while use on lower-speed “surface” streets remained at 80%.
