Colorado Department of Transportation records highest rate of seat belt usage ever

A survey of Colorado drivers found that more drivers are wearing seatbelts than ever.

The Colorado Department of Transportation’s 2025 Seat Belt Survey shows the rate of seat belt usage statewide at 90.7% — the highest ever recorded, according to a news release. 

“This is extremely encouraging news,” CDOT executive director Shoshana Lew said in a statement. “We know that seat belts play vital and life-saving roles during crashes. When more than 90% of Coloradans choose to buckle up, they are choosing to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe.”

The study observed more than 100,000 vehicles across 744 site locations over two weeks in June. It focused on the 26 counties that represent 85% of all traffic deaths in the state, while smaller counties with relatively fewer traffic deaths were not included.

While seat belt usage in Colorado increased from 2024 to 2025, it is still slightly below the national average, which sits at about 91.2%, the release states. In the past decade, Colorado’s seatbelt usage has increased 5.5% from about 85% in 2015, according to the study.

The study found that SUV drivers and van drivers are the most frequent seat belt users, each with about 93% of drivers wearing seatbelts, while pick-up truck drivers wear seatbelts the least frequently, at a rate of about 86%. 

Overall, as vehicles travel along roads with higher posted speed limits, occupants are more likely to wear seat belts, according to the news release.

Regionally, the seat belt usage rate was the highest in Grand County, at 97%, the study found. It was lowest in Pueblo County, at about 72%. The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced a community coalition in Pueblo County to work on increasing the seat belt usage rate there.

Wearing a seat belt in the front seat of a passenger vehicle can reduce your chance of a fatal injury in the event of a crash by 45%, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Seat belt usage rates remain lower among Colorado’s rural counties and truck drivers year over year,” Colorado State Patrol Chief Col. Matthew Packard said in a statement. “In the year to come, we will continue to educate and remind these drivers about the importance of buckling up.”