Having outlined the effectiveness of seat belts in reducing death and injury in road accidents, the author discusses a number of aspects which will contribute to successful legislation. A period of promoting seat belt use with a nucleus of voluntary users, community role models and publicity is recommended. The law must be seen to be fair with few exemptions. A small penalty with vigorous enforcement is preferred. Publicity about crashes including reports on the wearing or non-wearing of seat belts should emphasize the effectiveness of seat belts. A number of reasons are given to explain why the decrease in accident rate will not be proportional to the increase in belt usage. Enforcement of the law and methods of evaluating the law's benefits are discussed.
Abstract