In June 2004, safety belt use in the U.S. reached 80%, the highest level yet recorded. This result is from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which provides the only probability-based observed data on safety belt use in the United States. The NOPUS is conducted annually by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The 2004 survey also found the following:

• The overall use rate of 80% was not statistically higher than the use rate in 2003 of 79%. However statistically significant increases in belt use occurred on expressways and in suburban areas.
  
• Belt use is statistically lower in States with secondary belt enforcement laws than in States with primary laws, and lower in rural areas than in urban or suburban areas.

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