WisDOT: Seat belt use in Wisconsin highest in state history

MILWAUKEE -- Wisconsin drivers are playing it safe. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), seat belt use in Wisconsin is now the highest in state history.

Wednesday, September 14th the WisDOT released 2016 observational survey results showing more than 88% of drivers are buckling up before hitting the road.

The 2016 survey found that 88.4% of passenger vehicle occupants (drivers and right front seat passengers) buckled up compared to the 85.8% in a similar survey in 2015.

The WisDOT says the national average for safety belt use is approximately 89%. However, Wisconsin’s safety belt use rate still lags behind neighboring states whose rates exceed 90 percent.

According to a press released from the WisDOT, "although safety belt use in Wisconsin has increased, approximately half of the drivers and passengers killed in state traffic crashes last year were not wearing a safety belt. In 2015, there were nearly 55,000 convictions in Wisconsin for failure to fasten a safety belt."

The 2016 observational survey also found the following:


    "We are encouraged that effective safety belt enforcement and education are showing positive results," says David Pabst, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. "Increasing safety belt use in the Milwaukee metro area has been a challenge, and we’re pleased that it went up significantly last year. However, the study also showed that we need to continue to work on increasing safety belt use among males as well as pickup and commercial truck occupants. To prevent deaths and injuries, our goal has to be 100 percent safety belt use in Wisconsin."