Occupant Restraint Use in 2024: Results From the NOPUS Controlled Intersection Study

Werth, Lacey B · 2026 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report presents the findings of the 2024 National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) Controlled Intersection Study, conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). As the only nationwide probability-based survey of its kind, NOPUS provides critical data on occupant restraint use, including seat belt usage for adults and children, child restraint systems, and demographic trends. The study aims to monitor compliance with safety regulations and identify disparities in restraint use across various populations to inform public safety initiatives. The methodology involved roadside observations of passenger vehicles stopped at intersections controlled by stop signs or lights during daylight hours in June 2024. This design allowed data collectors sufficient time to record detailed demographic information, such as age, sex, and race, as well as seating positions and restraint types. The 2024 survey observed 85,813 occupants across 64,151 vehicles, a significant increase from the 2023 sample. Estimates reflect the population of all occupants on the road at a typical daylight moment. Statistical significance was determined using an alpha level of 0.05. The results indicate that overall front-seat belt use for occupants aged 8 and older remained stable at 91.2% in 2024, showing no significant change from the 91.9% rate in 2023. However, persistent disparities were observed: belt use was lower for males (89.3%) than females (93.5%), lowest among those aged 16–24 (87.3%), and lower among Black occupants (83.1%) compared to White (91.7%) and other racial groups (93.9%). Rear-seat belt use averaged 80.1%, significantly lower than front-seat usage. Notably, rear-seat belt use significantly decreased for occupants driven by drivers aged 16–24, dropping from 71.7% in 2023 to 54.3% in 2024. Additionally, rear-seat belt use in the West region significantly declined from 95.6% to 83.6%. Child restraint use for those under 8 years old was 92.2%, unchanged statistically from 2023, though use was significantly higher for children driven by belted drivers (94.4%) compared to unbelted drivers (65.0%). These findings highlight that while overall front-seat compliance remains high, critical gaps persist in rear-seat usage and among specific demographic groups. The significant drop in rear-seat belt use among passengers of young drivers and in the West region suggests targeted interventions are needed. The data also underscores the strong correlation between driver belt use and child restraint compliance. The report provides essential evidence for policymakers and safety advocates to address these disparities and improve occupant protection strategies.

Key finding

While overall front-seat belt use remained stable, rear-seat belt use significantly decreased for occupants driven by drivers aged 16 to 24 and for those in the West region.

Methodology

field_study

Sample size: 85813

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (5 acquisition events logged).

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

Topics

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• seat belt use
• child passenger safety

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, crash risk outcomes