Occupant Restraint Use in 2025: Results From the NOPUS Controlled Intersection Study
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Summary
This report presents the findings of the 2025 National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) Controlled Intersection Study, the only nationwide probability-based survey of occupant restraint use in the United States. Conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the study aims to provide accurate estimates of seat belt and child restraint usage across diverse demographic, geographic, and environmental variables. The research addresses the need for comprehensive data on occupant protection, specifically highlighting trends in rear-seat belt use, which has historically lagged behind front-seat compliance. The methodology involved roadside observational data collection at intersections controlled by stop signs or lights between June 2 and June 22, 2025. Observers recorded restraint use for 87,385 occupants across 66,497 passenger vehicles, including 2,764 children under eight. Because vehicles were stationary, observers could reliably assess demographic characteristics such as age, sex, and race, as well as rear-seat restraint status. The survey defines "belted" occupants as those with a visible shoulder belt and categorizes children as restrained if secured in car seats, boosters, or with a visible shoulder belt. Estimates reflect the population of all occupants on the road during a typical daylight moment. The results indicate that overall front-seat belt use for occupants aged eight and older remained stable at 91.3% in 2025, unchanged from 2024. However, rear-seat belt use saw significant improvements, rising to 84.0% from 80.1% in 2024. Twelve statistically significant increases were recorded for rear-seat usage, including among 16- to 24-year-olds (75.0% to 83.5%), occupants of other races (74.8% to 82.2%), and those in the West region (83.6% to 97.1%). Rear-seat use also increased significantly in pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs, as well as in slow and light traffic conditions. Despite these gains, historical disparities persisted: rear-seat use remained lower than front-seat use, and Black occupants continued to exhibit lower belt use rates than White or other racial groups in both seating positions. Child restraint use for those under eight remained stable at 92.5%, with the West region showing the highest compliance (97.3%) and the South the lowest (89.7%). The significance of these findings lies in the documented progress in rear-seat belt compliance, particularly among younger adults and in specific vehicle types and regions. The data suggests that legislative factors, such as universal seat belt laws, correlate with higher rear-seat usage. However, the persistence of demographic disparities highlights ongoing challenges in achieving equitable safety outcomes. These results provide critical evidence for policymakers and safety advocates to target interventions toward underrepresented groups and regions with lower compliance rates.
Key finding
Rear-seat belt use increased significantly from 2024 to 2025 across multiple demographic groups, vehicle types, and regions, while front-seat belt use remained statistically unchanged.
Methodology
field_study
Sample size: 87385
Provenance
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
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| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 23 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | partial | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified_with_issues.
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- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, crash risk outcomes