Motor Vehicle Safety in Rural America

Deaths from motor vehicle crashes for drivers or passengers are 3 to 10 times higher in rural America than in urban America, depending on the region. Seat belt use has been found to be lower in rural areas. Sixty-one percent of drivers and passengers in fatal crashes in the most rural counties in America did not have their seat belts on at the time of the crash. Seat belt use in rural areas is significantly higher in primary enforcement states (where an officer can ticket for failure to use seat belts) than in secondary enforcement states (where an officer can ticket for failure to use seat belts only when another traffic violation has occurred).