On June 30, 2009, Florida implemented a primary seat belt law. The State was already engaged in a Rural Demonstration Program (RDP) to increase belt usage in rural areas in the northern part of the State and participated regularly in annual Click It or Ticket (CIOT) mobilizations. This study examined the changes in belt usage associated with the primary law change and the contribution of the rural and statewide belt programs. Awareness surveys indicated that 94% of respondents knew of the primary law and 77% supported the law immediately after the law went into effect. The 2009 CIOT May Mobilization resulted in a 3-point increase in statewide usage, from 77.9% to 80.9%. The new primary law provided an additional gain of 4.3 percentage points in statewide usage to 85.2%. Belt use increased the most among the lowest belt use groups, including males, the African-American population, pickup truck occupants, younger occupants, and motorists on local roads. Statewide belt usage increased to 87.4% after the 2010 CIOT, about one full year after the primary belt law went into effect. (Author/publisher)
Abstract