FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
CONTACT: ARRIALE TABSON
Mobile: 615-767-3242
TENNESSEE’S SEAT BELT USAGE RATE REACHED 90.12 PERCENT IN 2021
Tennessee Highway Safety Office Reports State’s Third-Highest Annual Usage Rate.
TENNESSEE – On Wednesday, December 8, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) announced results from its annual roadside observational survey to determine the state’s average seat belt usage rate. This survey returned a statewide usage rate of 90.12 percent. Tennessee did not conduct a statewide survey in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the 2021 usage rate decreased approximately 1.6 percent compared to Tennessee’s 2019 survey result of 91.75 percent, this year’s result reflects Tennessee’s third-highest annual seat belt usage rate.
“We know seat belts save lives,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “The purpose of this annual survey is to help the THSO and traffic safety partners identify the demographics and areas of the state most in need of education and outreach to increase seat belt usage. Our goal is to reach as many drivers as possible to help reduce traffic injuries and fatalities across Tennessee.”
Highlights from Tennessee’s 2021 seat belt survey are as follows.
- Research data was collected at 190 pre-identified roadway locations across the State of Tennessee.
- Researchers observed more than 29,000 vehicle occupants.
- Vehicles observed included passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs.
- Pickup trucks displayed the lowest usage rate (83.3 percent).
- Overall, female occupants displayed a higher usage rate (94.5 percent) than males (87.3 percent).
This data was collected through an annual roadside observational survey conducted by the University of Tennessee’s Center for Transportation Research during the spring of 2021 in accordance with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Uniform Criteria for State Observational Surveys of Seat Belt Use.
For more information, please contact Arriale Tabson at 615-767-3242 or arriale.tabson@tn.gov.
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The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security advocating for traffic safety. The THSO works in tandem with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to implement statewide programs addressing occupant protection, impaired driving, speed enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and crash data collection and analysis. Programs administered by the THSO are 100 percent federally funded. The THSO’s mission is to effectively develop, implement, and evaluate these programs. To learn more, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.