Recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research
shows that seat belt use in the U.S. reached 86% in 2012.
The agency reports this is an all-time high, which has been increasing since 1994. NHTSA also reports that the southern region has shown the most dramatic increases in seat belt use, rising to 85% in 2012 from 80% in 2011. In addition, the agency says that seat belt use seems to be higher in states that have primary belt laws, which allow officers to give citations solely for not using a belt.
