Forty-eight States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration a state-wide estimate of front seat outboard passenger vehicle shoulder belt use for 2000. Table 1 shows these use rates and those reported for 1998 and 1999. Use rates at or above the Department of Transportation’s 1999 Performance Plan goal of 85 percent by the end of 2000 were reported by California (88.9 percent), Puerto Rico (87.0 percent), New Mexico (86.6 percent), and Maryland (85.0 percent). The District of Columbia, Hawaii, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington reported use rates greater than 80 percent. The lowest reported use rate was 47.7 percent in North Dakota. States with the highest increase in use rates from 1999 to 2000 were Michigan (from 70.1 percent to 83.5 percent), Alabama (from 57.9 percent to 70.6 percent) and New Jersey (from 63.3 percent to 74.2 percent). Each of these States introduced a standard enforcement seat belt use law in 2000. Twenty-eight States had increases in rates both from 1998 to 1999 and from 1999 to 2000. The largest increase was in Alabama, from 52.0 percent in 1998 to 57.9 percent in 1999 and to 70.6 percent in 2000. Only three States decreased in both years. The largest decrease was reported by Mississippi – from 58 percent in 1998 to 54.5 percent in 1999 and to 50.4 percent in 2000. Twenty-one States and Puerto Rico reported use rates at or above 71 percent, the nationwide estimate of overall front seat outboard passenger shoulder belt use in 2000 (Fall 2000 National Occupant Protection Use Survey [NOPUS]). In the Fall 2000 NOPUS, overall shoulder belt use in States with standard enforcement seat belt laws was 77 percent and was 64 percent in States without standard enforcement laws. In 2000, except for Washington, all States reporting use rates 80 percent or above had standard enforcement laws. (Author/publisher)
Abstract