National Center for Injury Prevention and Control 

Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention

SEAT BELTS POLICY

IMPACT {

What’s the Issue?

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death 

in the first three decades of American’s lives. In 2009 

alone, crashes killed over 33,000 people and injured 

another 2.2 million—more than 70% of these were in 

passenger vehicles and trucks.1

More than half of the people killed in car crashes 

were not restrained at the time of the crash.1 Wearing 

a seat belt is the most effective way to prevent death 

and serious injury in a crash. 

Seat belt use is on the rise. Laws, education, and 

technology have increased seat belt use from 11% 

in 19812 to nearly 85% in 20103, saving hundreds of 

thousands of lives. Yet, about 1 in 7 people still don’t 

buckle up. 

There are proven policies to increase seat belt use 

and save lives. { 90} In 2009, more than 

90 people died 

in motor vehicle 

crashes every day.
What Do We Know?

Most drivers and passengers killed in crashes are 

unrestrained. 53% of drivers and passengers killed 

in car crashes in 2009 were not wearing restraints.1

Seat belts dramatically reduce risk of death 

and serious injury. Among drivers and front-seat 

passengers, seat belts reduce the risk of death by 

45%, and cut the risk of serious injury by 50%.4

Seat belts prevent drivers and passengers from 

being ejected during a crash. People not wearing a 

seat belt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from 

a vehicle during a crash. More than 3 out of 4 people 

who are ejected during a crash die from their injuries.5

Seat belts save thousands of lives each year, and 

increasing use would save thousands more. Seat 

belts saved almost 13,000 lives in 2009. If all drivers 

and passengers had worn seat belts that year, almost 

4,000 more people would be alive today.5

These facts show that increasing seat belt use is { 70 } critical to reduce injury and save lives. 

In one year alone, crash 

deaths and injuries to 

drivers and passengers 

cost $70 billion in medical 

and lost work costs.6
Passenger

Vehicles and

Trucks 72%

Other or

Unknown 1% Pedalcyclists 2%

Pedestrians

12%

Motorcyclists

13%

1975-97

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Cumulative lives saved by seat belts

Most people killed in crashes are drivers 

or passengers1

Seat belts have saved an estimated 255,000 

lives since 19757
CDC RECOMMENDATIONS

Primary enforcement seat belt laws

Laws requiring seat belt use are either “primary” or 

“secondary” enforcement laws. Primary enforcement 

laws allow police officers to pull over drivers and issue 

tickets just because the drivers—or their passengers—

aren’t wearing seat belts. Secondary enforcement 

laws only allow police officers to issue tickets for seat 

belt violations if drivers have been pulled over for 

some other offense.

Secondary enforcement significantly limits the ability 

of officers to enforce seat belt laws. Rates of seat 

belt use are 9 percentage points higher in primary 

enforcement states than secondary states.8 

If the overall prevalence of seat belt use in states 

with secondary enforcement laws had matched the 

higher prevalence in states with primary laws, an 

additional 7.3 million adults would have buckled up 

in 2008.8 Increasing the number of states with primary 

enforcement seat belt laws covering all positions will 

increase seat belt use and save lives. 

What CAN WE DO?

Seat belts protect people from needless death and 

injury. But whether it is because they are in a hurry, 

distracted, or they simply forget, many people don’t 

wear their seat belts, and thousands die as a result. 

CDC recommends effective, well-enforced seat belt 

laws to ensure that every person in every seat 

buckles up on every trip. 

{ 9 } Primary enforcement 

states have seat belt use 

9 percentage points higher 

than secondary states.
Enhanced enforcement of existing seat belt laws

“Enhanced enforcement” programs seek to better 

support seat belt laws by either increasing the 

average number of citations each officer issues or 

by increasing the number of officers on patrol. These 

measures are supported by publicity campaigns, like 

the successful “Click It or Ticket” initiative. 

Research has shown that enhanced enforcement 

programs increase seat belt use by a median of 

16 percentage points. 9 Communities that follow this 

model and implement these programs will increase 

seat belt use. 

Increased fines for seat belt violations

Well-enforced seat belt laws work because most 

people would rather buckle up than possibly pay a 

fine. But in many states, fines for violating seat belt 

laws are so small that they don’t motivate people to 

wear their seat belt.

Increasing a seat belt fine from $5 to $100 can 

increase seat belt use by more than 10 percentage 

points. Even a modest increase can make a 

difference—for instance, an increase from $25 to $60 

can increase belt use by 3 to 4 percentage points.10

States should consider increasing fines to a level that 

will encourage seat belt use.

{ 16 } Enhanced enforcement 

increases seat belt 

use by a median of 

16 percentage points.
For more information on Seat Belts, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety • cdcinfo@cdc.gov • 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4643) | TTY 1-888-232-6348

For references, visit: www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/seatbeltbrief

Nineteen states still lack a 

primary enforcement seat belt law

Policy Impact is a series of issue briefs from CDC’s Injury Center 

highlighting key public health issues and important, sciencebased policy actions that can be taken to address them.

Updated in December 2010

January 2011

primary

law

secondary

law

no law

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 

maintains current information about 

state laws, who they cover, and fines. For 

information on seat belt laws in your state 

visit www.iihs.org/laws/SafetyBeltUse.aspx.