Results of Transport Canada's July 2001 survey of seat belt use in Canada

NHTSA · 2001 · ROSA P / Canada. Transport Canada

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Summary

This document presents the findings of Transport Canada’s July 2001 national survey on seat belt usage, conducted as part of the National Occupant Restraint Program (NORP). The survey aims to monitor progress toward the Road Safety Vision 2010 goal of achieving a 95 percent seat belt usage rate among all occupants in light-duty vehicles, which include passenger cars, passenger vans, and light trucks. The study was designed to provide current data on compliance levels across Canadian provinces and territories to inform policy-making, safety promotion, and enforcement efforts. The survey was conducted between July 16 and July 22, 2001, at 243 sites selected based on province, territory, community size, and road type. This sampling method was consistent with previous annual national surveys to ensure comparability of data over time. The results provide estimates of seat belt use for all occupants, broken down by vehicle type, driver age group, and seating position. The national estimate for all occupants in light-duty vehicles is accurate within ± 0.6 percent, 19 times out of 20 in repeated samples. The primary finding is that the national seat belt usage rate for all occupants in light-duty vehicles remained unchanged at 90 percent, consistent with the rates recorded in the preceding two years. Significant regional disparities were observed; Ontario led the country with a 93 percent usage rate, followed by Newfoundland and Saskatchewan at 92 percent. In contrast, usage rates were substantially lower in the territories, with Nunavut recording only 13 percent, the Northwest Territories at 63 percent, and Yukon at 78 percent. When analyzed by vehicle type, seat belt usage was higher in passenger vans (91 percent) than in light trucks (83 percent). The data also revealed a clear correlation between driver age and compliance: seat belt use increased with age, with drivers aged 50 and older exhibiting higher usage rates than those under 25. Additionally, usage rates varied by seating position, with drivers showing the highest compliance (91.1 percent nationally), followed by front-seat passengers (90.1 percent), and rear-seat passengers showing lower rates, particularly in the rear center position (80.5 percent). These results indicate that while national compliance has stabilized, it has not yet reached the 95 percent target set by the National Occupant Restraint Program. The high national average is attributed to increased public safety awareness and concerted efforts by provincial and territorial governments, police forces, and road safety associations. However, the persistent gaps in usage among younger drivers, light truck occupants, rear-seat passengers, and residents of certain territories suggest that targeted interventions are still required in these specific demographics and regions to further improve road safety outcomes.

Key finding

The national seat belt usage rate for all occupants in light-duty vehicles was 90 percent in July 2001, with Ontario leading at 93 percent and Nunavut at 13 percent.

Methodology

naturalistic

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• seat belt use

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence