NEW JERSEY — New Jersey’s seat belt usage rate climbed to nearly 95% following the state’s 2025 “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign, placing the state well above the most recently reported national compliance rate, state officials announced Tuesday.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety said the annual observational survey found that nearly 95% of front-seat occupants are wearing seat belts, marking one of the strongest post-campaign increases in recent years. The state’s usage rate exceeded the latest national figure of 91.2%.
“Seat belts save lives, and we are committed to ensuring that this message gets through to New Jersey drivers,” Platkin said. “Nearly 95% of New Jersey drivers and front-seat passengers are buckling up—and that’s a marked increase over the previous year. These gains reflect the dedication of our law enforcement officers, our public education campaigns, and the strong partnership among agencies committed to preventing traffic fatalities.”
The survey showed an overall front-seat occupant usage rate of 94.97%, up from 90.51% in 2024. Driver seat belt use rose to 95.11% from 90.86% a year earlier, while front-seat passenger usage increased to 94.22% from 89.10%. Sport utility vehicles recorded the highest compliance rate at 96.56%.
“Improving seatbelt usage is an absolute priority, even with our high compliance rate,” said Michael J. Rizol Jr., director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “Each year, hundreds of drivers and passengers are killed in traffic crashes, and more than 40% of them are not wearing their seatbelts. So many lives are lost in that group of people who disregard our safety message. Even minor improvements save lives.”
Weighted data from the survey, which uses statistical adjustments to ensure results are representative, showed similar gains. The weighted front-seat occupant usage rate was 94.33%, a 3.93% increase over 2024. Drivers recorded a weighted rate of 94.41%, up 4.02%, while front-seat passengers reached 93.71%, an increase of 3.25 percentage points.
County-level results also showed notable improvements. Union, Burlington and Passaic counties recorded the largest gains in front-seat passenger usage. Union County posted the highest overall rates for front-seat occupants and drivers, at 97.93% and 97.99%, respectively. Monmouth County recorded the highest front-seat passenger rate at 98.97%, a significant increase from 2024.
Usage rates varied by road type, with the highest compliance among front-seat occupants and drivers observed on primary roads. Front-seat passengers showed the highest usage on secondary roads, while local roads had the lowest overall rates, though all remained above 93%.
The survey was conducted following the May 12 through June 1, 2025, “Click It or Ticket” campaign. Data were collected by the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety in accordance with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidelines, which require states to conduct uniform, federally approved observational surveys to ensure representative sampling across road types and counties.
