Impact of Seat Belt Use on Car Accident Fatalities

In 2020, nearly half of all car crash fatalities—12,150 of 23,824—were people not wearing seat belts, a 4% increase from 2019. Seat belts save thousands of lives each year, with a mortality rate of 47% or higher for unbelted occupants. Despite laws requiring their use, non-compliance remains a leading factor in preventable deaths.

Seat belts save thousands of lives each year (e.g., 14,500 lives saved in 2017). Mortality rate for unbelted occupants is 47% or higher. Almost all U.S. states require seat belt use, but non-compliance remains a major factor in fatalities.
Source: The Zebra, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), National Safety Council, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Get the dataCreated with Datawrapper