BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss drivers are increasingly buckling up, with the country passing the 90 percent threshold for the first time in 2012: 92 percent of drivers and front seat passengers used seat belts, the annual Swiss Safety Council (bfu) survey shows. But 2012 also saw a slight dip in the number of back seat passengers wearing seat belts, from 80 percent to 77 percent.

The survey estimated gender and age for the first time, at the 73 observation points where 45,000 cars with Swiss plates were counted. The result: women wear seat belts more often than men. And wearing rates are lowest among people
aged between 18 and 44 (88 percent).

Rates are highest on autoroutes and lowest in built-up areas.