LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – More Michiganders are clicking it before they hit the road. A recent statewide study conducted by Michigan State University found that 93.2% of drivers and front-seat passengers were wearing seat belts in 2025 – up from 92% in 2024 and the highest statewide rate since 2019. The study was conducted in May and June 2025 at 200 locations across Michigan.

Still one of the simplest lifesavers.

Seat belts remain one of the most effective protections in a crash. According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, an estimated 4,614 lives have been saved since Michigan’s primary seat belt law took effect in 2000. Officials say the rising use rate is encouraging, but they are still pushing education and enforcement to make sure every driver and passenger is properly restrained.

Room to tighten up.

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The study also found that SUV occupants had the highest seat belt use rate at 95.5%, while pickup truck occupants had the lowest at 89.3%. Women buckled up at a higher rate than men, 95.3% to 91.7%. The message from state officials is pretty simple: buckling up takes only seconds, but it can make the difference between walking away and not walking away at all.