Press Release: Seat Belt Use Reaches Record High in Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Office on Highway Safety today released the results of its annual seat belt survey which showed that seat belt usage in the Ocean State has hit an all time high of 93%. This puts Rhode Island above the national average of 91.4% compliance. Before the general assembly passed a mandatory seat belt use law in 2011, the compliance rate was 78%.

RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said, "This is such good news and is the result of years and years of dedicated effort on the part of law enforcement, community groups, our legislators and the Office on Highway Safety."

He added, "I want to give special thanks to every police department in the state and the state police. They make the stops. They make the offenders think twice and buckle up. And they save lives."

"We are pleased to celebrate that Rhode Islanders are using their seat belts at the highest rates we have ever seen," said Chief Thomas F. Oates, III, President of the Rhode Island Chiefs Association and Chief of Police for the City of Woonsocket. "There's no doubt that seat belts save lives and our officers will continue to remind Rhode Islanders to buckle up while enforcing our seat belt laws."

Each year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) runs a Click it or Ticket mobilization campaign. This year, from May 19 through June 1, 28 Rhode Island law enforcement agencies participated sending out 127 patrols and logging 513 detail hours in seat belt enforcement.

OHS commissions a seat belt compliance survey annually to determine usage rate. This year, the survey followed the national mobilization campaign with observations at 90 sites. The 2025 survey is probability based and estimates are representative of seat belt use for the entire state.