Published by NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590

Traffic Safety Facts

Crash • Stats

DOT HS 810 949 May 2008

Seat Belt Use in 2007 – Use Rates in the States 

And Territories

In 2007, seat belt use in the United States ranged from 63.8 

percent in New Hampshire to 97.6 percent in Hawaii. These 

seat belt use rates are reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by States and Territories in response 

to grant requirements under 23 U.S.C. §§ 402, 406. 

The 2007 State and Territory surveys also found the following: 

n Twelve States and Territories achieved use rates of 90 

percent or higher — Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Michigan, Maryland, Puerto Rico, Texas, New 

Mexico, New Jersey, Iowa, and Illinois. 

n Jurisdictions with primary belt-enforcement laws continue to exhibit generally higher use rates than those with 

secondary laws or no belt law. Kentucky strengthened 

its belt law to a primary enforcement law, effective July 

2006, with citations issued beginning in January 2007. 

This State saw a jump in use from 67.2 percent in 2006 to 

71.8 percent in 2007. Maine’s primary enforcement seat 

belt law took effect on September 17, 2007, but citations 

were issued beginning April 1, 2008. 

Seat belt use rates in the States, U.S. Territories, the District 

of Columbia, and nationwide from 2001-2007 are listed in the 

following table. Rates in jurisdictions with primary 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 conducted. The 2003 rate for New 

Hampshire was not reported by the State. 

National Seat Belt Use Rate

Seat belt use nationwide was 82 percent in 2007, as measured 

by NHTSA’s National Occupant Protection Use Survey 

(NOPUS). NOPUS provides NHTSA’s official measure of 

nationwide use because it is the only probability-based observational survey of seat belt use in the United States. Additionally, NOPUS does not employ sampling frame exemptions allowed of the States and Territories in 23 CFR Part 1340 

(namely, the omission of up to 15 percent of low-population 

areas and the permission to observe data solely in vehicles 

stopped at stop signs or stoplights), and so provides a more 

accurate measure of nationwide use than would be obtained 

by combining the use rates from the States and Territories.

Table: Seat Belt Use in States, U.S. Territories, and Nationwide, 2001-2007 

State or 

U.S. Territory 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Conversion Rate* 

2006-2007

Alabama 79.4% 78.7% 77.4% 80.0% 81.8% 82.9% 82.3% -4%

Alaska 62.6% 65.8% 78.9% 76.7% 78.4% 83.2% 82.4% -5%

Arizona 74.4% 73.7% 86.2% 95.3% 94.2% 78.9% 80.9% 9%

Arkansas 54.5% 63.7% 62.8% 64.2% 68.3% 69.3% 69.9% 2%

California 91.1% 91.1% 91.2% 90.4% 92.5% 93.4% 94.6% 18%

Colorado 72.1% 73.2% 77.7% 79.3% 79.2% 80.3% 81.1% 4%

Connecticut 78.0% 78.0% 78.0% 82.9% 81.6% 83.5% 85.8% 14%

Delaware 

Dist. Of Columbia 

67.3% 

83.6% 

71.2% 74.9% 82.3% 83.8% 86.1% 86.6% 4%

84.6% 84.9% 87.1% 88.8% 85.4% 87.1% 12%
Published by NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590

State or 

U.S. Territory 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Conversion Rate* 

2006-2007

Florida 69.5% 75.1% 72.6% 76.3% 73.9% 80.7% 79.1% -8%

Georgia 79.0% 77.0% 84.5% 86.7% 89.9% 90.0% 89.0% -10%

Hawaii 82.5% 90.4% 91.8% 95.1% 95.3% 92.5% 97.6% 68%

Idaho 60.4% 62.9% 71.7% 74.0% 76.0% 79.8% 78.5% -6%

Illinois 71.4% 73.8% 80.1% 83.0% 86.0% 87.8% 90.1% 19%

Indiana 67.4% 72.2% 82.3% 83.4% 81.2% 84.3% 87.9% 23%

Iowa 80.9% 82.4% 86.8% 86.4% 87.1% 89.6% 91.3% 16%

Kansas 60.8% 61.3% 63.6% 68.3% 69.0% 73.5% 75.0% 6%

Kentucky 61.9% 62.0% 65.5% 66.0% 66.7% 67.2% 71.8% 14%

Louisiana 68.1% 68.6% 73.8% 75.0% 77.7% 74.8% 75.2% 2%

Maine NA NA NA 72.3% 75.8% 77.2% 79.8% 11%

Maryland 82.9% 85.8% 87.9% 89.0% 91.1% 91.1% 93.1% 22%

Massachusetts 56.0% 51.0% 61.7% 63.3% 64.8% 66.9% 68.7% 5%

Michigan 82.3% 82.9% 84.8% 90.5% 92.9% 94.3% 93.7% -11%

Minnesota 73.9% 80.1% 79.4% 82.1% 83.9% 83.3% 87.8% 27%

Mississippi 61.6% 62.0% 62.2% 63.2% 60.8% 73.6% 71.8% -7%

Missouri 67.9% 69.4% 72.9% 75.9% 77.4% 75.2% 77.2% 8%

Montana 76.3% 78.4% 79.5% 80.9% 80.0% 79.0% 79.6% 3%

Nebraska 70.2% 69.7% 76.1% 79.2% 79.2% 76.0% 78.7% 11%

Nevada 74.5% 74.9% 78.7% 86.6% 94.8% 91.2% 92.2% 11%

New Hampshire NA NA 49.6% NA NA 63.5% 63.8% 1%

New Jersey 77.6% 80.5% 81.2% 82.0% 86.0% 90.0% 91.4% 14%

New Mexico 87.8% 87.6% 87.2% 89.7% 89.5% 89.6% 91.5% 18%

New York 80.3% 82.8% 84.6% 85.0% 85.0% 83.0% 83.5% 3%

North Carolina 82.7% 84.1% 86.1% 86.1% 86.7% 88.5% 88.8% 3%

North Dakota 57.9% 63.4% 63.7% 67.4% 76.3% 79.0% 82.2% 15%

Ohio 66.9% 70.3% 74.7% 74.1% 78.7% 81.7% 81.6% -1%

Oklahoma 

Oregon 

67.9% 

87.5% 

70.1% 76.7% 80.3% 83.1% 83.7% 83.1% -4%

88.2% 90.4% 92.6% 93.3% 94.1% 95.3% 20%
Published by NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590

State or 

U.S. Territory 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Conversion Rate* 

2006-2007

Pennsylvania 70.5% 75.7% 79.0% 81.8% 83.3% 86.3% 86.7% 3%

Rhode Island 63.2% 70.8% 74.2% 76.2% 74.7% 74.0% 79.1% 20%

South Carolina 69.6% 66.3% 72.8% 65.7% 69.7% 72.5% 74.5% 7%

South Dakota 63.3% 64.0% 69.9% 69.4% 68.8% 71.3% 73.0% 6%

Tennessee 68.3% 66.7% 68.5% 72.0% 74.4% 78.6% 80.2% 7%

Texas 76.1% 81.1% 84.3% 83.2% 89.9% 90.4% 91.8% 15%

Utah 77.8% 80.1% 85.2% 85.7% 86.9% 88.6% 86.8% -16%

Vermont 67.4% 84.9% 82.4% 79.9% 84.7% 82.4% 87.1% 27%

Virginia 72.3% 70.4% 74.6% 79.9% 80.4% 78.7% 79.9% 6%

Washington 82.6% 92.6% 94.8% 94.2% 95.2% 96.3% 96.4% 3%

West Virginia 52.3% 71.6% 73.6% 75.8% 84.9% 88.5% 89.6% 10%

Wisconsin 68.7% 66.1% 69.8% 72.4% 73.3% 75.4% 75.3% 0%

Wyoming NA 66.6% NA 70.1% NA 63.5% 72.2% 24%

Nationwide 73% 75% 79% 80% 82% 81% 82% 7%

Puerto Rico 83.1% 90.5% 87.1% 90.1% 92.5% 92.7% 92.1% -8%

American Samoa NA

Guam 81%

Northern Mariana 

Islands

U.S. Virgin Islands

80%

80.2% NA

Notes: Rates in jurisdictions with primary 

NA: No rate reported. 

*The “conversion rate” is the percentage 

belt enforcement during the calendar year of the survey are shaded. 

reduction in belt nonuse. Negative conversion rates reflect a decrease in the estimated use rates. 

For questions regarding the above reported data, contact 

Donna Glassbrenner at 202-366-3962, or Tony Jianqiang Ye 

at 202-366-3603. This issue of Crash•Stats and other general 

information on highway traffic safety may be accessed online 

at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/CMSWeb/index.aspx