Seat Belt Car Insurance Rates

Average Auto Insurance Premiums Versus Seat Belt Use by State

Dec 17, 2009
Daniel Workman

Stop and Fasten Seat Belt Sign - Click (Morguefile)

Do states with the highest rates of seat belt use enjoy the lowest average auto insurance premium quotes?

Michigan and Washington are among the top American states for seat belt use, with at least 96% of motorists buckling up. In contrast, drivers and passengers in New Hampshire and Wyoming put on their seat belts less than 70% of the time.

Yet, the average annual car insurance premiums from Insurance.com’s RateWatch were $1,354 for New Hampshire and $1,547 for Wyoming. These rates are significantly lower than those for seat belt leaders Michigan ($2,065) and Washington ($1,789).

This analysis presents the average low insurance rates for 46 states during November 2009. These figures were from over a dozen auto insurance companies that provide current rates via Insurance.com.

Average car insurance premiums for each state are grouped and ranked by the percentage of seat belt use.

Auto Insurance Rates in States with Highest Seat Belt Use

Seat belt usage in the following 13 states was greater than 90%. For each state, the average quoted premium during November 2009 is followed by seat belt usage within brackets.

Michigan … US$2,065 average annual premium (97.2% seat belt usage)
Washington … $1,789 (96.5%)
Oregon … $1,500 (96.3%)
California … $1,713 (95.7%)
Maryland … $2,256 (93.3%)
Iowa … $1,256 (91.9%)
New Jersey … $2,812 (91.8%)
Delaware … $2,323 (91.3%)
Indiana … $1,447 (91.2%)
Texas … $1,836 (91.2%)
New Mexico … $1,694 (91.1%)
Nevada … $1,942 (90.9%)
Illinois … $1,447 (90.5%).

The average seat belt percentage for the above 13 states is 93.1% while the average annual premium for this group is $1,852. Given that the national average is 83% seat belt use and $1,803 for car insurance, motorists from the top 13 states use seat belts 12.2% more than the national average while their average yearly premiums were 2.7% higher than the U.S. benchmark of $1,803.

Car Insurance Rates in States with Moderate Seat Belt Use

Drivers and passengers in following 18 states strapped on their seat belts more than 80% but less than 90% of the time.

North Carolina … US$1,538 average annual premium (89.8% seat belt usage)
Georgia … $1,624 (89.6%)
West Virginia … $1,961 (89.5%)
Connecticut … $2,020 (88%)
Vermont … $1,188 (87.3%)
Minnesota … $1,646 (86.7%)
Alabama … $1,596 (86.1%)
Utah … $1,672 (86%)
Pennsylvania … $2,119 (85.1%)
Oklahoma … $1,774 (84.3%)
Maine … $1,293 (83%)
Ohio … $1,248 (82.7%)
Nebraska … $1,364 (82.6%)
Colorado … $1,545 (81.7%)
Florida … $2,101 (81.7%)
North Dakota … $1,512 (81.6%)
Tennessee … $1,435 (81.5%)
Virginia … $1,587 (80.6%).

For these 18 states, average seat belt usage is 85.1% which is 2.5% better than the 83% national average. The average annual premium quote of $1,624 for this set of states is 10% lower than the $1,803 average rate for the U.S. this November.

Auto Insurance Rates in States with Lowest Seat Belt Use

The following 15 states had seat belt usage under 80% in 2008.

Arizona … $1,519 average annual premium (79.9% seat belt usage)
Montana … $1,590 (79.3%)
South Carolina … $1,570 (79%)
Kansas … $1,624 (77.4%)
Idaho … $1,243 (76.9%)
Missouri … $1,483 (75.8%)
Louisiana … $2,408 (75.5%)
Wisconsin … $1,348 (74.2%)
Kentucky … $2,081 (73.3%)
Rhode Island … $2,238 (72%)
South Dakota … $1,428 (71.8%)
Mississippi … $1,890 (71.3%)
Arkansas … $1,831 (70.4%)
New Hampshire … $1,354 (69.2%)
Wyoming … $1,547 (68.6%).

This group of states had an average rate of seat belt usage of 73.6% - 11.4% lower than the national average. Their average auto insurance quote in November was $1,677 which is 7% less expensive than the overall average premium of $1,803.

Car Insurance and Seat Belt Use by State Compared

This brief analysis shows that just because a state has a higher rate of seat belt participation does not necessarily translate into lower automobile insurance premiums.

The 13 states with seat belt use over 90% received an average insurance quote of $1,842 for November 2009. That average annual rate is:

10.5% higher than the $1,677 for the 15 states where seat belt use falls below 70%
14% higher than the $1,624 for the 18 states where seat belt use is from 70% to 90%.

Use of seat belts can prevent personal losses including injuries, and offer major safety protection to motorists everywhere. It is just that calculating car insurance premiums is complex and involves many other factors that override any direct relationship with quoted insurance premiums … at least in the short term.

Sources

This analysis provides independent calculations and insights based on source data publicly available from the National Highway Safety Administration website and on Insurance.com, a leading third-party website committed to consumer education.