WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Buckle Up: Restraint Use 

91 

passenger vehicle occupants were killed 

in Washington, D.C. from 2009-2018. 

KEEP WASHINGTON, D.C. SAFE
 

Encourage drivers and passengers to 

always buckle up. 

This fact sheet provides a snapshot of passenger vehicle 

occupant deaths and seat belt use and an overview of proven 

strategies for increasing the use of seat belts, car seats, and 

booster seats. The information can help decision makers and 

community partners see gaps and identify relevant strategies 

to encourage people to always buckle up. 

FAST FACTS 

• Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for 

people aged 1-54 in the United States. 

• Wearing seat belts and properly buckling children into 

age- and size-appropriate car seats and booster seats 

can reduce the risk for serious injury and death in a crash 

by at least half. 

• Although most drivers and passengers in the United States 

follow these safety measures on every trip, millions 

still don’t. 

PASSENGER VEHICLE OCCUPANT DEATH RATES BY AGE 

 

Source: Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2018 

Fatality rates based on fewer than 20 deaths are suppressed. 

PASSENGER VEHICLE OCCUPANT DEATH RATES BY SEX 

 

Source: Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2018 

Fatality rates based on fewer than 20 deaths are suppressed. 

PERCENTAGE OF ADULTS WHO REPORT ALWAYS
 WEARING SEAT BELTS
 

    Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2

Working together, we can help keep people safe on the road—every day. 

www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/seatbelts/states 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 

WHAT WORKS 
 
 The strategies in this section are effective for increasing seat belt, car seat, and 

booster seat use. They are recommended by The Guide to Community Preventive 

Services and/or have been demonstrated to be effective in reviews by the 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.* Different strategies might require 

different resources for implementation or have different levels of impact. 

Find strategies that are right for your state. 

Strategies to Increase Seat Belt Use 

• Primary seat belt laws allow police officers to stop and ticket someone for 

not buckling up. On average, in both rural and urban communities, primary seat 

belt laws result in higher rates of seat belt use and fewer crash deaths than 

secondary seat belt laws. Secondary laws allow officers to give tickets only 

if they have pulled drivers over for another reason. Seat belt laws are most 

effective when they cover occupants in all seats of the vehicle.
 

• Increased penalties for violating seat belt laws might include higher fines or 

points on a driver’s license. 

• Short-term, high-visibility enforcement of seat belt laws, such as Click It or 

Ticket, involves a brief period of increased police efforts (e.g., checkpoints or 

saturation patrols). These efforts are highly publicized through a mass media 

campaign that mixes both earned media coverage and paid advertisements. 

Combining law enforcement and media coverage is particularly effective for 

reaching people who are known to have lower rates of seat belt use, such as 

men, teens, and young adults. 

• Integrated nighttime enforcement programs are short-term, highly visible 

enforcement strategies. They are conducted at night, when seat belt use is 

lowest and crashes are most common. They are combined with enforcement 

of other laws, such as impaired driving laws. Combining these strategies can 

help law enforcement use limited funding and resources for the greatest public 

safety impact. 

Strategies to Increase Car Seat and Booster Seat Use 

• Child restraint laws require children riding in vehicles to use approved restraint 

devices (car seats, booster seats, or seat belts) appropriate for their weight, 

height, and age. Strengthening current laws with booster seat provisions that 

require children who have outgrown car seats to use booster seats until at least 

age 9 helps reduce injuries and deaths. 

• Enhanced enforcement programs for child passenger safety are similar to those 

used for seat belt use (see above). Effective programs are short-term, highly 

visible in the community, and advertised widely in the media. 

• Distribution plus education programs help parents and caregivers obtain 

new, unused car seats and learn how to properly use and install them. These 

programs often include hands-on demonstrations, which can help increase 

proper use and installation. 

• Incentive and education programs reward parents or children with coupons or 

other prizes for correctly using car seats. Programs offer print materials, videos, 

or other instructional aids for parents and caregivers. 

IN WASHINGTON, D.C.:
 

• Seat belt laws are primary. 

They cover drivers, as well as 

passengers aged 16 and older 

in all seats. 

• Child restraint laws require 

that all children aged 7 and 

under be buckled in a car seat 

or booster seat. 

For up-to-date information on 

laws in your state, check with the 

Insurance Institute for Highway 

Safety at www.iihs.org. 

Find more information at 

www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety 

• Injuries, costs, and other data on 

passenger vehicle crashes. 

• Detailed information on effective 

strategies to improve seat belt 

use and child passenger safety. 

• An interactive calculator to 

estimate the expected number 

and monetized value of injuries 

prevented, lives saved, and 

costs of implementation for 

14 effective interventions. 

*Sources: The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide), Motor Vehicle-Related Injury Prevention, at www.thecommunityguide.org, and 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2018). Countermeasures that work: a highway safety countermeasures guide for State Highway Safety Offices, 

Ninth edition, at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/812478_countermeasures-that-work-a-highway-safety-countermeasures-guide-.pdf July 2020