How Many People Really Buckle Up in Washington State?

Survey Results: How Many People Buckle Up in Washington State?

I was one of those drivers who didn’t want to wear a seat belt when I was a teenager.

When Washington State enacted its first seat belt law in 1986, I was a few years away from my learner’s permit but I had a big chip on my shoulder about buckling up.

I did use my seat belt once I started driving in 1988 and when my son was born in 1994, I couldn’t imagine him not in a car seat and buckled up so I quickly changed my mind about wearing a seat belt.

In 2002, Washington State enacted a primary enforcement seat belt law, allowing law enforcement to take action if someone is not wearing a seat belt.

Washington State’s Seat Belt Usage Rates: The Facts

So believe it or not, Washington State didn’t enforce the infraction heavily until the 2000’s. According to a Google search, the number of drivers wearing their seat belts jumped to 95% in 2005.

Where do Washington State drivers rank today in 2025? Seat belt laws work as the state enjoys the highest usage in the nation at 93%. I was surprised by that number.

Why Some Washingtonians Still Skip the Seat Belt

Whenever I read about traffic accidents in the Tri-Cities, I always look to see if the drivers were wearing seat belts and for the most part, those causing the accidents generally aren’t wearing seat belts so it got me fascinated by the subject.

At 93% percent compliance, that’s pretty good but heck, we can go for 100% and yes I learned my lesson from youth, I always buckle up.