Click for more.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said today its new Seat Belt Law Calculator (SBLC) “uses statistical models that IIHS developed. The models are based on published research findings about the effects of different types of seat belt laws. In application SBLC shows how changes to seat belt laws would affect belt use and fatality rates in each state.*
“This calculator will help advocates and policymakers understand the safety benefits a state can reap with simple legislative changes,” said Chuck Farmer, IIHS vice president for research. “For the 22 jurisdictions that already have the strongest provisions in place, it shows the cost of any potential backsliding.”**
If every state had optimal belt use laws, an estimated 277 lives would have been saved in 2023, according to IIHS. Seat belt laws vary extensively throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia. New Hampshire is alone in not requiring belt use in the front seat, it is also one of 16 states that don’t require adult passengers to buckle up in the rear. [Perhaps the State License Plate should say “Live Belt Free and Die” – AutoCrat.]
Laws also vary according to the type of enforcement allowed. Primary enforcement laws allow police to stop a vehicle and issue a citation solely for failure to buckle up. Under secondary enforcement laws, police can only enforce seat belt requirements if they have pulled the driver over for another violation first.
Although most people buckle up, failure to use a seat belt remains a huge factor in road deaths. Among people 13 and older killed in crashes while riding in passenger vehicles in 2023, only 45% were confirmed to be using belts, IIHS noted.
“While state laws aren’t the only factor that influences belt use, use rates are generally lower in states with weaker laws. Studies have consistently shown that requiring belts can sway many holdouts and that laws with primary enforcement are more effective than those that allow only secondary enforcement.
“Not surprisingly, the state with the most to gain from seat belt law changes is New Hampshire. If it enacted a belt law covering all seating positions and allowing primary enforcement, it could cut deaths of passenger-vehicle occupants 13 and older by 8.9%.
“States with only front-seat laws and secondary enforcement could also make big progress with legislative tweaks. Nebraska, for example, could see a 6.6% drop in deaths if it enacted a rear-seat belt requirement and primary enforcement for the front and back,” IIHS said.
States Requiring Safety Belts for All
“Just moving to primary enforcement would have a substantial benefit for many states that already require belts for all occupants. Montana, for example, would see a 6.4% drop in fatalities from that change.
“Georgia is an example of a state that has a primary enforcement law for the front seat, but no law for the back seat. If it enacted a rear-seat requirement with primary enforcement, it would cut overall deaths of teen and adult passenger-vehicle occupants by 0.7%, because of a projected 12% cut in rear-seat deaths.
Safety Belt Reminders
Strengthening laws is just one way to increase seat belt use. IIHS research has shown that persistent visual and audible reminders that go well beyond the 4- to 8-second reminders required under federal regulations are highly effective at changing behavior.
IIHS began rating belt reminders in 2022, prompting manufacturers to make rapid improvements. About 71% of 2025 vehicles evaluated earned a good rating for their belt reminders, compared with just 16% of 2022 models.
“Despite these improvements, it will be many years before a majority of vehicles on the road have good belt reminders. In the meantime, stronger belt laws and better enforcement are tools that can yield rapid results,” IIHS said.
*AutoInformed on
**The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries and property damage from motor vehicle crashes through research and evaluation and through education of consumers, policymakers and safety professionals. It is wholly supported by auto insurers and insurance associations.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
IIHS Pushing for Optimal State Safety Belt Use Laws
Click for more.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said today its new Seat Belt Law Calculator (SBLC) “uses statistical models that IIHS developed. The models are based on published research findings about the effects of different types of seat belt laws. In application SBLC shows how changes to seat belt laws would affect belt use and fatality rates in each state.*
“This calculator will help advocates and policymakers understand the safety benefits a state can reap with simple legislative changes,” said Chuck Farmer, IIHS vice president for research. “For the 22 jurisdictions that already have the strongest provisions in place, it shows the cost of any potential backsliding.”**
If every state had optimal belt use laws, an estimated 277 lives would have been saved in 2023, according to IIHS. Seat belt laws vary extensively throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia. New Hampshire is alone in not requiring belt use in the front seat, it is also one of 16 states that don’t require adult passengers to buckle up in the rear. [Perhaps the State License Plate should say “Live Belt Free and Die” – AutoCrat.]
Laws also vary according to the type of enforcement allowed. Primary enforcement laws allow police to stop a vehicle and issue a citation solely for failure to buckle up. Under secondary enforcement laws, police can only enforce seat belt requirements if they have pulled the driver over for another violation first.
Although most people buckle up, failure to use a seat belt remains a huge factor in road deaths. Among people 13 and older killed in crashes while riding in passenger vehicles in 2023, only 45% were confirmed to be using belts, IIHS noted.
“While state laws aren’t the only factor that influences belt use, use rates are generally lower in states with weaker laws. Studies have consistently shown that requiring belts can sway many holdouts and that laws with primary enforcement are more effective than those that allow only secondary enforcement.
“Not surprisingly, the state with the most to gain from seat belt law changes is New Hampshire. If it enacted a belt law covering all seating positions and allowing primary enforcement, it could cut deaths of passenger-vehicle occupants 13 and older by 8.9%.
“States with only front-seat laws and secondary enforcement could also make big progress with legislative tweaks. Nebraska, for example, could see a 6.6% drop in deaths if it enacted a rear-seat belt requirement and primary enforcement for the front and back,” IIHS said.
States Requiring Safety Belts for All
“Just moving to primary enforcement would have a substantial benefit for many states that already require belts for all occupants. Montana, for example, would see a 6.4% drop in fatalities from that change.
“Georgia is an example of a state that has a primary enforcement law for the front seat, but no law for the back seat. If it enacted a rear-seat requirement with primary enforcement, it would cut overall deaths of teen and adult passenger-vehicle occupants by 0.7%, because of a projected 12% cut in rear-seat deaths.
Safety Belt Reminders
Strengthening laws is just one way to increase seat belt use. IIHS research has shown that persistent visual and audible reminders that go well beyond the 4- to 8-second reminders required under federal regulations are highly effective at changing behavior.
IIHS began rating belt reminders in 2022, prompting manufacturers to make rapid improvements. About 71% of 2025 vehicles evaluated earned a good rating for their belt reminders, compared with just 16% of 2022 models.
“Despite these improvements, it will be many years before a majority of vehicles on the road have good belt reminders. In the meantime, stronger belt laws and better enforcement are tools that can yield rapid results,” IIHS said.
*AutoInformed on
**The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries and property damage from motor vehicle crashes through research and evaluation and through education of consumers, policymakers and safety professionals. It is wholly supported by auto insurers and insurance associations.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.