LANSING — Michigan’s seat belt use rate rose to 93.2% in 2025, according to a grant-funded study conducted by Michigan State University. The results represent the highest compliance rate recorded in the state since 2019.
The 2025 rate is an increase of 1.2 percentage points more than 2024, when seat belt use fell to a 20-year low of 92.0%. To gather the data, researchers conducted direct observations at 200 locations across Michigan during May and June.
Occupants of SUVs recorded the highest seat belt use rate among vehicle types at 95.5%. This was followed by occupants of vans and minivans at 93.4% and passenger cars at 91.9%. Occupants of pickup trucks exhibited the lowest usage at 89.3%, a finding the study noted is consistent with historical trends.
The study also identified a difference in compliance based on gender. Female occupants had a seat belt use rate of 95.3%, which was 3.6 percentage points higher than the 91.7% recorded for male occupants.Prior to the 2024 low, Mich. reported rates of 92.4% in 2023, 92.9% in 2022 and 92.6% in 2021. Over the last decade, overall annual use among front-seat occupants has fluctuated between 92.0% and 94.5%. The state reached its highest recorded seat belt use rate of 97.9% in 2009.Alicia Sledge, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said the state is looking to build on the recent increase in compliance. “Every time we buckle up, we protect not just ourselves but everyone on the road,” Sledge said. “We’re encouraged by the progress in seat belt use in Michigan, but continued education and enforcement are essential to keeping every driver and passenger safe.”Long-term data from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute indicates that 4,614 lives have been saved since Michigan’s primary seat belt law went into effect in 2000. Under the primary law, law enforcement officers can stop and ticket motorists solely for not wearing a seat belt.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that the nationwide seat belt use rate was 91.2% in 2024. This figure represents a slight decrease from the 91.9% use rate recorded across the United States in 2023.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires all states to conduct annual seat belt observation surveys to determine usage levels. Michigan State University will continue to use grant funding to facilitate these direct observation studies at designated locations.