According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the leading cause of death for Americans aged 54 and under is motor vehicle crashes. These are among the most effective life-saving devices the auto industry has ever come up with, and the latest seatbelt statistics prove that.
Today, we’re going to find out the truth about how essential seatbelts are to preventing unnecessary deaths on the road. Here’s what you need to know about the latest data and 2024 insights.
Key Takeaways
- Front-seat passenger seat belt use is legally mandated in 49 states, with rear-seat passengers required to buckle up in 33 states.
- Seat belts save an average of 15,000 lives per year and make you nearly 50% less likely to suffer moderate injuries in a car crash.
- Younger drivers below the age of 34 are the least likely group to wear a seat belt, with men having a higher chance of being unrestrained.
- Seat belt injuries also occur, with bruising and internal injuries resulting from blunt force trauma.
- Wearing a seat belt when getting behind the wheel is a proven way of making America’s roads safer for all.
- The consequences of not wearing a seat belt include a higher risk of injury and death, increased insurance premiums, tickets, and reduced settlements from auto accidents in at-fault states.
How Many Lives Are Saved by Seat Belts Each Year?
According to Youth for Road Safety, seat belts save an estimated 15,000 lives annually because drivers and their passengers decide to buckle up before starting their journeys. Yet it’s predicted that an extra 2,500 lives could have been saved if they were used more extensively across the nation.
There’s a reason why these devices are a legal requirement in so many states because every year since their introduction in 1968 per the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. Every year has shown that with increasing seat belt use, we see fewer deaths and life-changing injuries. The problem is that too many Americans get distracted, are in a hurry, or simply forget to wear them before they start driving.
How Many People Die from Not Wearing Seat Belts?
According to a study reported by the National Safety Council (NSC), 25,240 people died on the roads in 2022. They also found that around 15,000 people weren’t buckled up, meaning of those passenger vehicle occupants killed, nearly 50% of them weren’t wearing a seat belt.
Interestingly, the percentage of people who weren’t restrained when they died has remained remarkably constant. It always seems to hover around the 50% mark, demonstrating how much of a problem not wearing a seat belt is.
What are the Odds of Dying from a Car Crash With No Seat Belt?
A report from the NSC found that the odds of dying in a car crash from not wearing a seat belt are around 45-50%. However, people focus on deaths but not the risks of life-changing injuries. Even moderate injuries impact your quality of life for years, especially if chronic issues arise.
The same study found that you’re 50% less likely to receive a moderate to critical injury in a crash. It may seem high, but seat belt safety has improved remarkably over the decades. Today, seat belts are crash-tested religiously, ensuring the highest possible auto safety standards.
What are Safety Facts About Seatbelts?
Seat belt statistics demonstrate that restrained drivers and passengers are likelier to escape injury and death in every scenario you might encounter on America’s roads.
Let’s run through some interesting seat belt safety facts in 2024 from the Traffic Safety Marketing website.
- An American dies every 47 minutes from not wearing a seat belt.
- Your chances of dying from not wearing a seat belt increase after 6 pm, with 57% of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants dying during this time.
- Men are overrepresented in the statistics relating to unrestrained passenger deaths, making up 54% of all deaths.
- 60% of deaths in the 18-34 age demographic are related to not wearing a seat belt.
- Pickup trucks may be larger, but they don’t provide extra protection. Approximately 61% of pickup truck deaths involved unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants.
In short, whether you live in the big city or the countryside, whether you drive a small car or an enormous pickup truck, or whether you’re 18 or 65, wearing a seat belt could save your life one day.
A Seat Belt Can Increase the Possibility of Surviving a Crash by This Percentage
Seat belts are the difference between saying goodbye to your loved ones and walking away with minor injuries. According to Brainly, the simple act of buckling up increases your chances of survival by more than 50%.
Although some might argue that coming to a sudden halt causes injuries, modern seat belts reduce the impact on your body. In high-speed crashes, they also prevent all passenger car occupants from becoming human missiles and flying through the windshield.
What are the Statistics on Injuries Caused by Seat Belts?
No direct statistics exist on the injuries caused by seat belts because it’s difficult to connect an injury directly with a seat belt itself, especially in serious car accidents. However, seat belt injuries indeed exist.
According to one study from StatPearls Publishing, skin abrasions and bruising can occur on the surface, with internal injuries also resulting from high-impact crashes. Blunt force trauma occurs because the seat belt transfers the impact into the passenger, with attachment points receiving significant blunt trauma.
For example, take a basic three-point belt. The impact points in an accident would be the chest, lower abdomen, and shoulder. Some examples of injuries that can result include:
- Bruising
- Rib fractures
- Bowel ruptures
- Lumbar fractures
- Organ injuries
These injuries are why if you see a bruise forming from an accident, you must go to the emergency room to ensure you haven’t suffered any internal damage.
But does this argue against wearing a seat belt? Absolutely not, because all of these injuries are a significantly better outcome than dying or being paralyzed from the neck down.
What are the Seat Belt Laws by State?
Seat belt laws in the U.S. are left to each state to decide. In 2024, 49 of 50 states require adult front-seat passenger vehicle occupants to wear a lap and shoulder belt, with the exception being New Hampshire. Rear-seat passengers only have to wear seat belts in 33 states.
Despite all new passenger vehicles being required to install seat belts in 1968, it took over 15 years for any state to mandate wearing a seat belt. In 1984, New York became the first state to require adults to wear seat belts while operating a motor vehicle.
And there’s been an enormous amount of resistance from various groups to making proper seat belt use a legal requirement. This is why even though Value Penguin estimates that seat belts have saved an estimated 374,000 lives since 1975, the number could have been far higher if everyone got on board with making seat belts a legal requirement for all passengers.
What are Current Seat Belt Usage Rates in the U.S.?
Seat belt usage rates are at record highs, with 91.6% of front-seat passengers wearing seat belts. In the same study, it was found that rear seat belt use was just 78%.
Why the discrepancy in numbers? One of the big issues is that it’s only a legal requirement for back seat passengers to wear seat belts in 33 states, compared to the 49 states requiring front-passenger seat belt use.
However, you’re no safer in the back than if you were in the front. One study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that in a frontal collision, an unbelted rear-seat passenger increases driver fatality risk by an incredible 137%. This is because anyone who isn’t restrained essentially becomes a missile, and if they hit another person, they’re likely not only to kill themselves but also kill the person they hit.
What’s clear is that as we reach record highs for nationwide seat belt usage, constant driver safety campaigns at federal, state, and local levels have been effective in making drivers think before they hit the accelerator.
Seat Belt Compliance Among Different Age Groups
Young drivers report the lowest rates of seat belt compliance in findings from a Safe Kids Worldwide study entitled Teens in Cars, with 25% of teenagers not wearing a seat belt every time they drive. Interestingly, the 25-34 age demographic isn’t much better, with a 61% rate of unrestrained deaths.
Granted, this might not come as a surprise to many, with younger, less experienced drivers prone to more recklessness and risk-taking behavior on the roads. So, why don’t younger people wear their seat belts? It could be for many reasons, including:
- Finding seat belts uncomfortable.
- It’s not cool to wear a seat belt.
- They weren’t driving far.
- They forgot.
Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons why young drivers are likelier to be injured. If we combine all of the above, that’s why the NSC found that drivers aged 16-19 represent just 3.6% of drivers but are involved in 9.1% of all crashes, including 6.1% of fatal crashes.
Regional Disparities in Seat Belt Usage
Significant regional disparities exist toward seat belt attitudes and usage, with high-income, high-education areas likeliest to see the highest seat belt usage. This trend tracks similarly to general auto fatality rates, with the Accident Analysis & Prevention journal finding that 45% of fatalities occur in rural areas despite only 19% of the U.S. population living there.
We also have to consider the impact of established laws and enforcement into the equation beyond just the rural vs. urban argument. Let’s examine New Hampshire, which remains the only state with no adult seat belt laws in 2024.
Despite national seat belt usage crossing the 90% threshold, 94.9 Whom reported from the New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety that just 75.5% of New Hampshire's wear seat belts regularly. The Granite State does mandate seat belts for minors under the age of 17, but all attempts at creating adult seat belt laws have failed.
What are the Factors that Influence Seat Belt Use?
Seat belt use varies across demographics, education levels, gender, and location. Various factors determine whether drivers in your area will wear a seat belt.
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, here are some of the most common excuses why people choose not to wear a seat belt:
- “I’m a careful driver, so I don’t need one.”
- “I drive slowly.”
- “I’m not driving far.”
- “I find seat belts uncomfortable.”
- “Seat belts wrinkle my clothes.”
These excuses have largely remained unchanged since the 1970s, no matter how many studies prove the effectiveness of seat belts. Beyond the usual poorly constructed excuses, here are some of the main factors that influence whether someone will wear a seat belt:
- Risk perception
- Existing legislation
- Legal enforcement
- Social pressures
- Vehicle type
- Age
- Gender
- Education level
- Personal experience
This is why traffic safety advocates nationwide change up their messaging based on who they’re targeting at the time. Since people who steadfastly refuse to wear seat belts are influenced by different things, auto safety campaigns target groups differently.
What’s the Impact of Seat Belt Usage on Road Safety?
Road safety has dramatically improved since the introduction of mandatory seat belt laws. It’s a fact that your chances of dying on the road are slashed by around 50% if you’re wearing a seat belt. Likewise, your chances of serious injury are halved when wearing a seat belt.
Yet some people argue that seat belts haven’t made the roads safer whatsoever. According to one study reported on by media platform ITS International, U.S. roadway deaths have actually increased by 30% in the past decade. Deaths remain stubbornly high, but it’s not due to seat belts.
Various reasons exist for America being an international outlier regarding road safety, including:
- Different laws based on where you are.
- More drivers on the road.
- Climate change impacting safety.
- Higher average speeds.
- Poor freeway design.
But seat belts have saved hundreds of thousands of lives in the last few decades. The problem is that seat belts aren’t a silver bullet that can overcome every bad driving habit.
What Should You Do After a Car Accident in Chicago?
Getting involved in a car accident, even while wearing a seat belt, can leave you with injuries. If you find yourself in an accident that wasn’t your fault, your Chicago car accident lawyer is there to win you the settlement you deserve.
However, your ability to make a successful claim under Illinois at-fault laws depends on your actions in those initial hours after an accident. Here’s a basic guide to the steps to take after a car accident in Chicago:
- Step One – Get you and any passengers to safety. Don’t just sit in your car in the middle of the freeway.
- Step Two – Call 911 and ask for an officer to attend. If necessary, call an ambulance to take you to the nearest hospital.
- Step Three – Exchange contact details and insurance information with the other driver. This is a legal requirement, and it’s an offense to decline to give details.
- Step Four – Gather evidence from the scene. Use your phone to take pictures and videos of your injuries, damage to your car, the road conditions, and traffic signs. You should also collect eyewitness statements and ask for their details.
- Step Five – Seek immediate medical attention, even if you feel fine. Some injuries, like internal injuries and whiplash, might not display any symptoms for a few hours. Keep all documentation from your examination, including medical bills.
- Step Six – Get in touch with a Chicago personal injury lawyer to take charge of your case. By hiring a legal professional, you’re giving yourself the best shot at getting the highest possible settlement.
Experiencing any form of accident is a traumatizing experience. There’s a good chance you’re confused and emotional in the immediate aftermath. Instead of trying to fight your own case, working with a legal professional gives you the time and breathing space needed to focus on your recovery and get your life back together.
How Driving Without a Seat Belt Impacts Car Insurance Rates
Your auto insurance rates could rise if you’re ticketed for not wearing a seat belt. In states like Illinois, not wearing a seat belt is an offense, meaning it will appear on your driving record. Any form of violation could cause an increase in your auto insurance rates.
However, the act of not wearing a seat belt is unlikely to increase your insurance costs significantly. The problem in Illinois is being involved in an accident could cost you big because it’s an at-fault state.
Under The Prairie State’s modified comparative negligence laws, you must be considered less than 50% responsible for an accident to claim any monetary compensation. If you’re seriously injured and weren’t wearing a seat belt, an auto insurance company could argue that your injuries wouldn’t be that severe if you were wearing a seat belt.
And a court will probably agree with that argument.
None of this means you won’t be eligible for compensation, but you could be assigned partial responsibility because you were committing an offense at the time. Any responsibility assigned to you means an overall reduction in your final settlement, which could amount to tens of thousands of dollars.
In essence, we’d like to think that driving without a seat belt is a cardinal sin as much as driving without insurance in Illinois.
Seat Belt Statistics 2024 FAQs
What percentage of Americans wear seat belts?
Around 92% of Americans consistently wear seat belts when driving. However, there are significant nuances to the national rate, with rural drivers less likely to wear seat belts than urban drivers. Moreover, discrepancies exist between states, with as few as 78% of drivers wearing seat belts in New Hampshire.
How many lives do seatbelts save in the United States?
An estimated 15,000 lives are saved annually because drivers and passengers choose to wear seat belts. However, these numbers could be significantly higher if restraints were used more consistently.
What age group wears seatbelts the least?
Teenage drivers are the least likely age demographic to wear seat belts before taking to the road. The second least likely group to wear a seat belt is drivers aged 25 to 34. Unsurprisingly, these two demographics also make up an outsized portion of road traffic accidents, serious injuries, and fatalities.
