Research Note: Seat Belt Use in 2023 – Overall Results

1DOT HS 813 543

February 2024

Seat Belt Use in 2023 – Overall Results
The national estimate of seat belt use by adult front-seat passengers in 2023 was 91.9 percent, a record highalthough not statistically different (at the 0.05 level) from 91.6 percent observed in 2022. The seat belt use rateestimate represents the percentage of occupants who are belted during an average daylight moment.
Figure 1 displays an increasing trend of seat belt use over a 15-year period, contrasted with the percentage ofunrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities during daytime.1 The 2023 survey found one significant change
in seat belt use from 2022 to 2023 for the Northeast region as shown in Table 1. Seat belt use continued to behigher in the west region compared to the other regions of the country (Figure 2). Seat belt use also continued tobe higher in the States in which vehicles can be pulled over solely for occupants not using seat belts (“primarylaw States”) compared to the States with weaker enforcement laws (“secondary law States”) or no seat belt laws
for adults although the difference has narrowed since 2020 (Figure 3).
The 2023 data collection occurred in early June immediately following the Click It or Ticket campaign. The
number of occupants observed in the 2023 survey increased by 3 percent from 2022.
These results are from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), the only survey that provides
nationwide probability-based observed data on seat belt use in the United States. The NOPUS is conductedannually by NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis.
Figure 1. National Seat Belt Use Rate and Daytime Percentage of Unrestrained Passenger
Vehicle Occupant Fatalities
Seat Belt Use Rate

Daytime Unrestrained Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities

100%
90%

85.1% 83.8% 86.1% 87.2% 86.7%

88.5% 90.1% 89.7% 89.6% 90.7% 90.3% 90.4%

91.6% 91.9%

Percent

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%

41.8% 42.3% 42.6%
2010

2011

2012

39.4% 39.9% 39.0%

40.0%

2013

2016

2014

2015

39.0%

38.6% 38.5% 42.9% 42.3%

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Source: NOPUS, FARS 2010-2020 Final File, FARS 2021 ARF

1 The FARS 2022 and 2023 data on the percentages of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities during daytime will be available

in early 2024 and early 2025.

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Research Note: Seat Belt Use in 2023 – Overall Results

2

Table 1. Seat Belt Use by Major Characteristics
2022

2023

2022-2023 Change
Change in95%
Percentage Confidence
PointsInterval4p-Value5

Belt Use2

95%
ConfidenceInterval3

Belt Use2

95%
ConfidenceInterval3

All Occupants

91.6%(90.0, 92.9)

91.9%(90.6, 93.0)

0.3(-1.4, 2.0)

0.73

Drivers

91.9%(90.4, 93.2)

92.1%(90.7, 93.3)

0.2(-1.7, 2.0)

0.87

Right-Front
Passengers

90.0%(88.1, 91.6)

90.9%(89.4, 92.3)

0.9(-0.9, 2.7)

0.30

92.2%

(90.4, 93.7)

92.0%(90.3, 93.5)-0.2(-2.4, 2.1)

0.88

89.5%

(86.0, 92.3)

91.3%(88.9, 93.2)

1.8(-0.6, 4.1)

0.14

Occupant
Group1

Occupants in States With6
Primary
EnforcementLaws
Secondary/No
Enforcement
Laws

Occupants Traveling on
Expressways

94.4%(93.0, 95.6)

94.3%(93.4, 95.1)-0.1(-1.7, 1.5)

0.91

Surface
Streets

89.4%(87.4, 91.2)

90.2%(88.1, 91.9)

0.7(-1.7, 3.1)

0.53

Occupants Traveling inFast Traffic

93.3%(91.7, 94.7)

93.6%(92.7, 94.4)

0.3(-1.4, 1.9)

0.73

MediumSpeed Traffic

91.0%(89.4, 92.4)

91.0%(89.1, 92.6)

0.0(-2.1, 2.1)

0.99

Slow Traffic

88.3%(85.3, 90.7)

88.8%(86.4, 90.9)

0.6(-2.1, 3.2)

0.67

Occupants Traveling in
Heavy Traffic

93.3%(92.0, 94.4)

93.7%(92.9, 94.4)

0.4(-0.7, 1.4)

0.46

Moderately
Dense Traffic

90.6%(88.5, 92.3)

90.0%(87.5, 92.0)-0.6(-3.8, 2.6)

0.72

Light Traffic

82.6%(78.3, 86.2)

84.6%(80.5, 87.9)

2.0(-3.7, 7.7)

0.48

94.3%

(92.5, 95.7)

93.8%(92.4, 95.0)-0.5(-2.6, 1.6)

0.61

91.2%

(89.6, 92.6)

91.7%(90.4, 92.9)

0.5(-1.3, 2.3)

0.59

91.3%(89.6, 92.8)

91.8%(90.2, 93.1)

0.5(-1.2, 2.1)

0.57

93.7%

(92.5, 94.8)

93.9%(93.0, 94.7)

0.2(-1.2, 1.7)

0.78

86.7%

(84.0, 88.9)

87.0%(84.1, 89.4)

0.3(-3.4, 3.9)

0.88

Northeast

91.1%(89.2, 92.7)

93.0%(91.9, 93.9)

1.8(0.3, 3.4)

0.02

Midwest89.3%(85.5, 92.3)

92.9%(89.8, 95.2)

3.6(-1.1, 8.3)

0.13

South

90.5%

(87.2, 93.0)

88.4%(85.6, 90.8)-2.1(-5.4, 1.2)

0.21

West

96.2%(94.8, 97.3)

96.5%(95.6, 97.2)

0.2(-0.6, 1.1)

0.56

Urban Areas

92.0%(90.6, 93.2)

92.3%(91.2, 93.2)

0.3(-0.9, 1.5)

0.62

Rural Areas

90.8%(88.3, 92.9)

91.2%(88.4, 93.3)

0.3(-2.9, 3.6)

0.84

Occupants Traveling ThroughNot Clear
Weather
Conditions
Clear
Weather
Conditions
Occupants inPassengerCars
Vans andSUVs
Pickup Trucks
Occupants in

Occupants in

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Research Note: Seat Belt Use in 2023 – Overall Results

32022
Occupant
Group12023

2022-2023 Change
Change in95%
Percentage Confidence
PointsInterval4
p-Value5

95%
ConfidenceInterval3

Belt Use2

95%
ConfidenceInterval3

91.5%(89.9, 92.9)

91.6%(90.2, 92.7)

0.1(-1.7, 1.8)

0.94

91.3%

(89.6, 92.8)

91.8%(90.3, 93.0)

0.4(-1.3, 2.2)

0.61

91.6%

(89.7, 93.2)

91.4%(89.8, 92.7)-0.3(-2.2, 1.6)

0.76

91.7%

(89.8, 93.3)

92.5%(90.6, 94.1)

0.8(-1.4, 3.0)

0.47

Belt Use2

Occupants Traveling During
WeekdaysWeekday
Rush
Hours
Weekday
Non-Rush
Hours
Weekends

1 Drivers and right-front passengers of all observed passenger vehicles
2 Shoulder belt use observed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

± 𝑡𝑡�(𝑡𝑡 2 + 4𝑛𝑛𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝)/2(𝑛𝑛𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸 + 𝑡𝑡 2 )�, where 𝑝𝑝 is the estimatedpercentage of belt use, 𝑛𝑛𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸 = 𝑛𝑛/𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 is the effective sample size (where 𝑛𝑛 is the sample size and 𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 is the design effect), 𝑡𝑡 ≡𝑡𝑡1−𝛼𝛼/2 (𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑), is a multiplier from the t-distribution with 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 degrees of freedom, and 𝑞𝑞 = 1 − 𝑝𝑝. For percentages, these endpoints aremultiplied by 100.
4 The regular symmetric interval was used for the estimated change in percentage point, which is in the form: 𝑝𝑝 ± 𝑡𝑡
1−𝛼𝛼/2 (𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑)�𝑣𝑣(𝑝𝑝), where
𝑝𝑝 is the estimated change in percentage point, 𝑣𝑣(𝑝𝑝) is its estimated variance, and 𝑡𝑡1−𝛼𝛼/2 (𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑) is a multiplier from the t-distribution with 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
degrees of freedom.
5 A p-value of 0.05 or less indicates that there is a statistically significant difference (at the alpha = 0.05 level) between the year-over-year
estimates for the group in question, indicated with bold type.
6 Use rates reflect the laws in effect at the time data were collected.
Data Source: NOPUS, NCSA, 2022, 2023
3 The Wilson confidence interval has the form: �(2𝑛𝑛𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸 𝑝𝑝 + 𝑡𝑡2)

Figure 2. Seat Belt Use by Region
2022

2023

Seat Belt Use, in Percent

100%
96.2%
95%

93.0%

92.9%

91.1%
89.3%

90%

96.5%

90.5%
88.4%

85%

80%

NortheastMidwestSouthWest

Source: NOPUS

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Research Note: Seat Belt Use in 2023 – Overall Results

4Figure 3. Seat Belt Use by Law Type2022

2023

Seat Belt Use, in Percent

100%

95%

92.2%

92.0%

91.3%
89.5%

90%

85%

80%

Primary Law States

Secondary Law or No Law States

Source: NOPUS

Survey Methodology

NOPUS is the only nationwide probability-based observational survey of seat belt use in the United States. Thesurvey observes seat belt use as it actually occurs at randomly selected roadway sites and thus provides the best
tracking of the extent to which passenger vehicle occupants in the United States are buckling up.
The survey data is collected by sending trained observers to probabilistically sampled roadways, who observe
passenger vehicles from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Observations are made either while standing at the roadside or, in thecase of expressways while riding in a vehicle in the traffic. In order to capture the true behavior of passenger
vehicle occupants, the NOPUS observers do not stop vehicles or interview occupants. The 2023 NOPUS data wascollected from June 5 to June 24, 2023, while the 2022 NOPUS data were collected from June 6 to June 24, 2022.
The NOPUS uses a complex, multistage probability sample, statistical data editing, imputation of unknown
values, and complex estimation procedures. Table 2 shows the observed sample sizes of the 2023 NOPUS
Moving Traffic Survey. A total of 122,828 occupants were observed in the 100,893 vehicles, both of which are 3
percent more than the 2022 sample.
Because the NOPUS sites were selected probabilistically, we can test the statistical significance of the results.
Statistically significant changes in seat belt use between 2022 to 2023 are identified in Table 1 by a p-value that is
0.05 or less in the table’s far-right column.
Table 2. Sites, Vehicles, and Occupants* Observed
Numbers of2022

2023

Percentage ChangeSites Observed

1,865

1,869

0.21%

Vehicles Observed

98,322

100,893

2.61%

Occupants Observed*

119,411

122,828

2.86%*Drivers and right-front passengers only

Data collection, estimation, and variance estimation for the NOPUS are conducted by Westat, Inc., under thedirection of NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis under Federal contract number
693JJ918D000001.

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Research Note: Seat Belt Use in 2023 – Overall Results

5Definitions

Under NOPUS observation protocols, a driver or right-front passenger is considered “belted” if a shoulder belt
appears to be across the front of the body.
A jurisdiction that can enforce traffic laws, such as a State or the District of Columbia, has a “primaryenforcement” law if occupants can be ticketed simply for not using their seat belts. Under “secondaryenforcement” laws, vehicles must be stopped for another violation, such as an expired license tag, before anoccupant can be cited for seat belt nonuse. As of May 31, 2023, primary laws were in effect in 34 States and theDistrict of Columbia, 15 States had secondary laws, and 1 State (New Hampshire) effectively has no adult seatbelt law. In New Hampshire, it is legal for occupants over age 18 to ride unbelted (Highway Loss Data Institute,2023).
The following States below had “primary enforcement” seat belt laws effect as of May 31, 2023.
AL, AK, AR, CA, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NM, NY, NC,
OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, WA, WV, WI“Expressways” are defined to be roadways with limited access, while “surface streets” comprise all otherroadways.
A roadway is defined to have “fast traffic” if during the observation period the average speed of passenger
vehicles that pass the observer exceeds 50 mph, with “medium-speed traffic” defined as 31 to 50 mph, and “slowtraffic” defined as 30 mph or slower.
A roadway is defined to have “heavy traffic” if the average number of vehicles on the roadway during theobservation period is greater than 5 per lane per mile, with “moderately dense traffic” defined as greater than 1
but less than or equal to 5 vehicles per lane per mile, and “light traffic” as less than or equal to 1 vehicle per lane
per mile.
As of 2018 “Not Clear Weather Conditions” includes sites where light precipitation or light fog is present.
The survey uses the following definitions of geographic regions, defined by the States below.
Northeast: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT
Midwest: IA, KS, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI
South: AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
West: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY
Urban and Rural area classifications are based on Census’s 2010 urban area classification. Urban areas arecomprised of Urban (Census-identified Urbanized Areas of 50,000 or more people) or suburban (Censusidentified Urban Clusters of at least 2,500 and less than 50,000 people). Rural areas are not designated as Urban
Areas or Urban Clusters.
“Weekday Rush hours” are defined to be 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, while “Weekday
Non-Rush Hours” comprise all other weekday hours (9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.).
Seat belt use rates reflect the State laws in effect at the time of data collection.

References

Highway Loss Data Institute. (2023, October). Seat belt and child seat laws by State (Web page). InsuranceInstitute for Highway Safety. Available at www.iihs.org/topics/seat-belts/seat-belt-law-table
National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2019, March). Lives saved in 2017 by restraint use and minimumdrinking-age laws (Traffic Safety Facts CrashStats. Report No. DOT HS 812 683). National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812683
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Research Note: Seat Belt Use in 2023 – Overall Results

6For More Information

For questions regarding the information presented in this document, please contact ncsaweb@dot.gov.
Additional data and information on the survey design and analysis procedures will be available in upcoming
publications to be posted at the website https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/#/.
Research has found that lap/shoulder seat belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger
car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate- to-critical injury by 50 percent. In 2017 the use of seat belts
in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives of occupants 5 and older (National Center for Statistics andAnalysis, 2019). For more information on the campaign by NHTSA and the States to increase seat belt use, see
www.nhtsa.gov/CIOT.
The NOPUS also observes other types of restraints, such as child restraints and motorcycle helmets, and observes
driver electronic device use. This publication is part of a series that presents overall results from the survey onthese topics. Please refer to the upcoming research notes and technical reports in the series, such as Motorcycle
Helmet Use in 2023–Overall Results, for the latest data on these topics.
Suggested APA format citation for this document:
National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2024, February). Seat belt use in 2023 – overall results (TrafficSafety Facts Research Note. Report No. DOT HS 813 543). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This research note and other general information
on highway traffic safety may be found at:https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/.
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