The Tar Heel state is setting records when it comes to seat belt usage, with a recent survey revealing that 92.8% of drivers and front-seat passengers have been clicking in for safety. It's a number that's been climbing steadily year by year since 2020 and signifies the highest observed rate for North Carolina so far. Governor Roy Cooper praised the milestone, asserting that this uptick in seat belt usage reflects a burgeoning culture of safety awareness on North Carolina's roads. "People who buckle up protect themselves and others," Cooper said, "and I’m proud more North Carolinians are making the safe choice," according to the N.C. Department of Transportation official release.
Conducted by the N.C. Governor's Highway Safety Program (GHSP), the survey consisted of pulling together numbers from random roadway sites across 15 counties—a mandated requirement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The stats showed an even slight increase for the 2024 survey, with 93.1% of drivers and 91.8% of front seat passengers securing their seat belts. The data also highlighted that young drivers were setting the benchmark with the highest compliance, buckling up at an impressive rate of 94.4%. Still, with over 40% of vehicle occupants killed in car crashes found unbuckled in recent years, the failure to wear a seat belt is a significant risk.
Primarily taking place post "Memorial Day Click It or Ticket" campaign—a GHSP initiative that is hailed as a national model since it took off in 1993—the annual seat belt observational survey kicks off every June. "North Carolina has been a longtime leader in promoting traffic safety," revealed Mark Ezzell, director of GHSP, who noted the sustained efforts in collaboration with various organizations to ensure that "most of us in North Carolina buckle up in every seat, every time we get into a vehicle," detailed by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
For those looking to dive into the specific digits and findings of the survey, the detailed seat belt survey data can be accessed at the North Carolina Department of Transportation's newsroom. Readers can follow this link to the GHSP report, providing more insights into the commendable strides the state has made in the domain of road safety.
