I grew up in an era when seatbelt use went from suggested to “mandatory” 40 years later I wonder why you wouldn’t wear a seatbelt?
The study by injury lawyers Bader Scott analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to see which states had the lowest rate of seat belt use on average between 2015 and 2022.
It found that the New England state of New Hampshire has the lowest rate of seat belt usage of any state on average, with 72.23%. Between the years studied, seat belt usage was at its lowest in the state in 2017, at just 67.6%, and highest in 2018, at 76.4%.
North Dakota comes in seventh place on the list, with an average seat belt usage rate of 81.60%.
Massachusetts comes in second place on the list, with an average seat belt usage rate of 77.67%. Seat belt usage was lowest in the state in 2017, with a rate of just 73.7%, and highest in 2019, with 81.6%.
Coming in third place on the list is South Dakota, with the midwestern state seeing an average seat belt use rate of 78.81%. The rate was at its lowest in 2015, with 73.6%, and at its highest in 2022, with 88.1%.
Mississippi ranks fourth on the list, with an average seat belt usage rate of 79.41%. Seat belt usage was lowest in 2016, with a rate of just 77.9%, and then at its highest in 2019, with 80.5%.
Rounding out the top five is Arkansas, which follows closely behind with an average seat belt usage rate of 79.57%. Usage was lowest in 2016, with a rate of 75.1%, and highest in 2021, with a rate of 84.2%.
In contrast, on average, California has the highest seat belt usage rate of any state, with 96.34%.
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