Seat Belt Usage by Age Group of Drivers

Chart 10 shows the proportion of drivers wearing seat belts in rural communities, from 81.5% of drivers under 25, to 84.1% of those 25 to 49 and 88.9% of those 50 and older.

• For drivers of passenger cars, those 50 and older had a usage rate of 90.3% (vs. 88.0% for those 25 to 49 and 87.5% for those under 25).
• For drivers of minivans and SUVs, those 50 and older had a usage rate of 91.7% (vs. 87.1% for those 25 to 49 and 89.9% for those under 25).
• For drivers of pickup trucks, those 50 and older had a usage rate of 85.3% (vs. 77.6% for those 25 to 49 and 69.6% for those under 25).

Chart 11 shows the proportion of drivers wearing seat belts in urban communities, from 85.4% of those under 25, to 88.5% of those 25 to 49 and 87.9% of those 50 and older.

Other data from the urban survey show that the increased rate of seat belt usage with age is generally consistent across the three vehicle types:

• For drivers of passenger cars, those 50 and older had a usage rate of 90.5% (vs. 89.7% for those 25 to 49 and 86.5% for those under 25).
• For drivers of minivans and SUVs, those 50 and older had a usage rate of 87.2% (vs. 88.9% for those 25 to 49 and 85.2% for those under 25).
• For drivers of pickup trucks, those 50 and older had a usage rate of 74.3% (vs. 82.9% for those 25 to 49 and 75.5% for those under 25).

• For drivers of passenger cars, those 50 and older had a usage rate of 90.6% (vs. 89.4% for those 25 to 49 and 86.5% for those under 25).
• For drivers of minivans and SUVs, those 50 and older had a usage rate of 87.3% (vs. 88.8% for those 25 to 49 and 85.1% for those under 25).
• For drivers of pickup trucks, those 50 and older had a usage rate of 75.5% (vs. 82.5% for those 25 to 49 and 75.1% for those under 25).