Mass. seat belt use reaches five-year high

• 91% of U.S. drivers buckle up, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data from 2024.

By the numbers: A state study looked at 24,662 drivers and passengers across 147 locations.

• Female compliance: 90%
• Male compliance: 82%
• Pickups: 73% (the lowest-rated category)
• Hispanic occupants saw the sharpest year-to-year demographic increase at 6 percentage points, to 77%.

Zoom in: Bristol County logged just 78% usage while Middlesex and Essex counties posted the strongest gains.

Of note: New Hampshire-registered vehicles jumped 11 percentage points to 85%, erasing a historic compliance gap between Massachusetts and the Granite State.