The increase in lives saved, injuries prevented, an cost savings if seat belt use rose to at least 90 percent in all States.

The 1,652 additional lives saved in all 38 States and the District of Columbia resulting from the increase in seat belt use would represent an increase of 11 percent above the estimate of lives saved by seat belts (15,147) for 2007. Over 50 percent of the total benefits in lives saved (842 out of the total of 1,652 lives saved), non-fatal injuries saved (22,677 out of the total of 39,486 non-fatal injuries), and cost savings ($3.0 billion out of the total of $5.2 billion), seen from improving belt use in each State to 90 percent seat, would come from States that do not have primary seat belt laws at the time of this report, as shown in Table 1. This note examines the potential increase in lives saved, injuries prevented, and cost savings that would be realized if seat belt use hypothetically rose to at least 90 percent in all States. Seat belts saved an estimated 15,147 lives in 2007, when the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) national belt use estimate was 82 percent. Table 1 provides details of the estimated benefits that would have been realized if the 38 States and the District of Columbia that, in 2007, had a seat belt use rate below 90 percent had been able to increase their 2007 seat belt use up to 90 percent. An estimated 1,652 additional lives would have been saved had this increase in seat belt use occurred, and nearly 40,000 more nonfatal injuries would have been prevented, resulting in additional cost savings of about $5.2 billion dollars.