TUESDAY, September 29, 2026|
Photo – Map showing percentages of unbuckled vehicle fatalities – Courtesy National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Wyoming ranks second in the nation for unbuckled vehicle fatalities.
Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its latest report on vehicle fatalities involving drivers who were not wearing seatbelts. According to the NHTSA, 61 percent of fatalities on Wyoming’s roadways were attributed to unrestrained motorists in 2024. The only part of the country with a higher percentage of deaths was Puerto Rico, which reported a 72 percent rate of fatalities involving unrestrained motorists.
However, the Wyoming Highway Patrol reports a different number. Of the 102 fatal vehicle crashes in 2024, 45 fatalities were not using seatbelts, putting the number closer to 44 percent. That percentage was slightly higher in 2025, when Highway Patrol reported roughly 48 percent of roadway deaths involved unrestrained occupants. And so far in 2026, 54 percent of fatalities were unbuckled at the time of the crash.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol encourages motorists to buckle up for safety.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Alaska saw the fewest unbuckled driver deaths in 2024, at just 29 percent.
