In 2015 seat belt use in the United States ranged from 69.5 percent in New Hampshire to 97.3 percent in California and Georgia. Nineteen States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands achieved belt use rates of 90 percent or higher. These results are from probability-based observational surveys conducted by 50 States, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Territories. In 2011 NHTSA established new uniform criteria (23 CFR Part 1340) for observational surveys. In 2015 all the States and Territories observational surveys conformed to the new uniform criteria. Compliance with the criteria is verified annually by NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis. Seat belt use rates in the States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, other U.S. Territories, and nationwide from 2008 to 2015 are listed in the table below. Rates in jurisdictions with primary seat belt enforcement during the calendar year of the survey are shaded in the table. However, the law might not have taken effect when the survey was being conducted. The 2015 State and Territory survey results include the following: * Nineteen States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands achieved belt use rates of 90 percent or higher. These States include, in descending order of belt use rate, California, Georgia, Oregon, Illinois, Washington, Minnesota, New Mexico, Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Hawaii, New York, Nevada, Indiana, South Carolina, New Jersey, Texas, and Delaware. * Jurisdictions with stronger seat belt enforcement laws continue to exhibit generally higher use rates than those with weaker laws. (Author/publisher)
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