Pennsylvanias seat belt use rate has remained consistently above the national average' However, even

1
Pennsylvania Safety Facts
January 2009
Pennsylvanias seat belt use rate has remained
consistently above the national average.However,
even at 85.1 use, over 1,850,000 Pennsylvanians
still are not buckling up.
NHTSA estimates that if Pennsylvania were to pass
a primary seat belt law, usage could rise by
approximately 6 percentage points.
In 2000, crashes cost Pennsylvania 8.2 billion
About 665 for each resident

• With a primary seat belt law, each year
  Pennsylvania would save about
• 59 lives
• 867 serious injuries
• 200 million in costs
• (Based on a 6 percentage point increase from the
  2008 PA seat belt use rate.)

Although Pennsylvania has received a SAFETEA-LU
incentive grant based on its seat belt
performance, primary seat belt laws can still
further increase seat belt use even in states
with high belt use and can help states experience
a decrease in traffic related injuries and
fatalities.
2
51.3 of Pennsylvanias motor vehicle traffic
fatalities are in rural areas. The fatality
rate in rural areas is almost twice the rate in
urban locations. Source 2007 FARS Data
68 of Pennsylvanias passenger vehicle occupant
fatalities are in passenger cars. Source 2007
FARS Data
In Pennsylvania, a much larger percentage of
pickup truck fatalities are unrestrained compared
to passenger car fatalities. Source 2007 FARS
Data
70 of nighttime fatalities are unrestrained in
Pennsylvania compared to 55 of daytime
fatalities. Source 2007 FARS Data