Safety Belt Use in Northeast Florida

Posted on 05/05/2026 by Traffic Safety Team

Florida’s statewide safety belt use rate for 2025 is 90.8 percent, an improvement from the 2024 result of 90.0 percent. This annual statewide survey is primarily designed to provide a single safety belt usage estimate for the entire State of Florida, not official county rates. However, these rates are still helpful as they serve as reference points for changes over time.

Three counties are surveyed in our 18-county FDOT District Two. Out of the 31,545 statewide total of Observed Front-Seat Occupants, including drivers and passengers, there were 4,669 observed in Alachua (1,364), Duval (1,726), and St. Johns (1,579). This accounts for 14.8% of the total number observed out of the 15 counties surveyed throughout the state.

2025 Survey Results for Safety Belt Use in Northeast Florida

Alachua County 91.4% (up from 90.6% in 2024)
Duval County 87.7 (up from 86.5% in 2024)
St Johns County 87.9% (up slightly from 87.5% in 2024)

Notably, the usage rates are based on weighted data from two sets of sample sites: those used in 2017-2021 and those used in recent surveys. This could influence the shift in survey numbers, and decreases could be due to the different areas where new sites are located. For example, Alachua’s usage rate was 95%, and St. Johns was 92.1% in 2021.

Despite the year-to-year fluctuation, safety belt usage generally shows an upward trend. However, the recent decline indicates that occupant protection programs should seek to increase safety belt use among the groups with disproportionately low use identified in this survey.

Occupant Protection Messages in Response to Low Usage Rates

The low safety belt usage groups identified include pickup truck occupants, male passengers, occupants between the ages of 16-34, and black occupants.

Be Savvy, Buckle Up for ages 16-34 — Occupants Ages 16-34: *Be Savvy… Buckle Up*

Buckle up in your truck — Occupants in Pickups: *Buckle Up in Your Truck*

be man enough to buckle up — Male Occupants: *Be Man Enough to Buckle Up*

buckle up, your life matters — Black Occupants: *Buckle Up… Your Life Matters*

Safety Belt Law History

In 1986, Florida implemented its first adult safety belt law. Safety belt use before the law was at 22% statewide. From 1999 to 2004, Florida’s use rate increased from 59% to just over 76% due to FDOT’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign and other efforts across the state. In 2009, Florida passed a primary enforcement safety belt bill, and safety belt use has increased since the law’s passage. Working together, we can continue to increase safety belt use and reduce fatalities and injuries on our roadways.

“Always Buckle Up … for Your Family. For Yourself. For LIFE.”
No Regrets When You BUCKLE UP!

Pages: 1 2

Florida Traffic Safety Coalitions

Posted on 06/14/2021 by Traffic Safety Team

Florida’s statewide traffic safety coalitions and programs focus on reducing serious injuries and fatalities on our roadways through teamwork and partnerships at the local, regional, and statewide levels. These coalitions support Florida’s State Highway Strategic Plan (SHSP) emphasis areas and bring partners together to analyze data, create strategic action plans, implement programs, and monitor performance.

Coalitions Support Florida’s State Highway Strategic Plan

Traffic safety is most effective when employing measures of engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency response, as well as information intelligence, innovation, community insight, investment, and policy. Coalition members include community officials, agencies, advocacy groups, business partners, and membership organizations.

2021 Florida Traffic Safety Coalition and Resource Center Contact List and Information

Florida’s Coalitions:

Impaired Driving Coalition:

The FIDC was formed in 2009 to identify and prioritize impaired driving issues and develop a plan to maximize the State’s ability to impact these crashes.

Ride Smart – Motorcycle Safety Coalition:

Ride Smart Florida is a resource for motorcyclists that includes education and training, safety strategies, motorcycle data, and more. It provides support to local communities and motorcycle clubs through access to public service announcements, motorcycle‐related statistics, rider education information, and links to other websites related to motorcycle safety.

Occupant Protection Coalition:

The FOPC was formed to identify and prioritize Florida’s occupant protection issues by reviewing proven strategies and discussing promising new practices.

Alert Today Alive Tomorrow – Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Coalition:

FDOT’s “Alert Today Alive Tomorrow” campaign is presented via TV, radio, social media, transit advertising, local education, and enforcement activities. The message that “Safety Doesn’t Happen by Accident” is a reminder for all roadway users. Pay attention and follow the rules of the road.

Safe Mobility for Life Coalition:

This coalition’s mission is to implement a strategic plan to increase safety, access, and mobility for aging road users and eliminate fatalities and reduce serious injuries.

Teen Safe Driving Coalition:

This coalition brings together community members to build a culture of safe teen driving by engaging, educating, and mobilizing everyone. Develop and improve safe teen driving programs, practices, and activities.

Traffic Records Coordinating Committee:

This committee brings together agencies that are interested in reducing traffic injuries and deaths by improving the timeliness, accuracy, completeness, uniformity, integration, and accessibility of traffic records data.

Florida Traffic Safety Resource Centers:

Florida Occupant Protection Resource Center

Occupant Protection Resource Center:
This center was created to be a one-stop resource center that provides resources. Equipment, educational, and promotional materials on all aspects of occupant safety.

Pedestrian & Bicycling Safety Resource Center:
This center promotes safe pedestrian and bicycling activities for citizens and visitors, young and old. Through educational materials and information, and advocacy with state advocacy groups.

Northeast FDOT CTSP and the Florida traffic safety coalitions plan and maintain projects. They also review crash data to evaluate the SHSP progress. Members identify relationships between contributing factors. These include time/day, demographics, driver behaviors, environmental and roadway conditions, high-risk locations, and emerging issues in key emphasis areas.

Florida’s traffic safety coalitions turn strategy into action.

In conclusion, Florida’s traffic safety coalitions bring people together. They use data to guide decisions. And they focus on one shared goal—saving lives.

Moreover, these partnerships strengthen every part of the State Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). They connect engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency response. They also support innovation, community insight, and smart investment. As a result, communities identify risks faster and respond with proven solutions.

At the same time, each coalition plays a key role. They address impaired driving, occupant protection, pedestrian and bicycle safety, teen driving, motorcycle safety, aging road users, and traffic data systems. Together, they create a stronger, safer roadway network across Florida.

Most importantly, progress depends on continued collaboration. Stay involved. Use the resources. Share the message. Support local efforts.

Because when we work together, we move closer to Target Zero—zero fatalities and serious injuries on Florida’s roadways.

Resources

Ride Safe Activity Cards

Posted on 06/02/2021 by Traffic Safety Team

The Northeast Florida Community Traffic Safety Program (CTSP) distributed 15,000 Ride Safe Activity Cards throughout all 18 counties of FDOT District Two in May 2021. They are available for free at your local library.

Buckle Up Activity Card with Occupant Protection and Child Passenger Safety Tips

Seat Belts Save Lives activity cards — *Ride Safe Activity Cards – Buckle Up Activity Card with Occupant Protection and Child Passenger Safety Tips*

Libraries are a wonderful place for community members to access educational and informational resources at no cost, and for our Community Traffic Safety Teams to promote key traffic safety messages, like driving safe, always wearing your safety belt, stopping distracted driving and sharing the road. This Ride Safe activity card is double-sided with a car safety crossword and child safety seat maze activity.

We have also created this free digital, one-sided 8.5×11 Ride Safe, Occupant Protection resource available here for downloading, printing and sharing with your community.

The FDOT District Two covers 18 counties, from rural to urban communities. Our Northeast Florida CTSP has partnered with local, county public library systems for many years. Our goal is to help reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities on our roadways through education and community outreach.

Ride Safe: Remember to Always Buckle Up for Every Car Ride!

This Ride Safe Activity Card, occupant protection and child passenger safety, free educational resource is part of a series. The Drive Safe and Bike Safe pieces are available online below, and Walk Safe will be distributed this Fall. Each piece has a different activity or puzzle with important traffic safety tips and reminders.

Drive Safe Activity Cards

Bike Safe Activity Card

Walk Safe Activity Card

Traffic Safety Team

Bringing you home safely

Tag Archives: safety belts

Safety Belt Use in Northeast Florida

2025 Survey Results for Safety Belt Use in Northeast Florida