Seat Belt Usage by Gender of Driver

Chart 7 shows a higher percentage of female drivers wearing seat belts (89.6%) than male drivers (83.1%) in rural communities.

•  The higher rate of seat belt usage by females was consistent across all three vehicle types. 
• Other data from the survey show that the higher rate of seat belt usage by females in rural communities is generally consistent across all provinces and territories. The difference ranged from 5.0 percentage points in Nova Scotia (93.6% for females vs. 88.6% for males) to 15.6 points in the Yukon (64.3% for females vs. 48.7% for males).

 Chart 8 shows a higher percentage of female drivers wearing seat belts (89.2%) than male drivers (86.8%) in urban communities.

• The higher rate of seat belt usage by females was evident for passenger cars, and minivans and SUVs, but not for pickup trucks. 
• Other data from the survey show that the higher rate of seat belt usage by females in urban communities is generally consistent across all provinces and territories. The difference ranged from 8.5 percentage points in the Northwest Territories (82.1% for females vs. 73.6% for males) to 12.4 points in Newfoundland and Labrador (92.5% for females vs. 80.1% for males). Contrary to expectations, more males than females buckled up in Ontario and Alberta.

Chart 9 shows a higher percentage of female drivers wearing seat belts (89.3%) than male drivers (86.5%) in Canada.

• The higher rate of seat belt usage by females was consistent across all three vehicle types. 
• Other data from the survey show that the higher rate of seat belt usage by females is generally consistent across all provinces and territories. The difference ranged from 6.5 percentage points in the Yukon (81.9% for females vs. 75.4% for males) to 10.1 points in Newfoundland and Labrador (89.1% for females vs. 79.0% for males).