Increasing seat belt use among North Carolina high school students : a statewide incentive program.

Author(s)
Marchetti, L.M. Lowrance, J.C. Tolbert, W.G. & Hall, W.L.
Year
Abstract

This project examined the effects of high school-based seat belt programs in increasing belt use among teenage motorists. Seat belt programs were initiated at 48 high schools across North Carolina during spring 1993. Students and advisors attended training workshops, then applied for program grants for up to $500. Each school was required to collect periodic belt use data and submit a final program report. The findings of this project indicate that the concept of recruiting student groups to conduct seat belt programs at the high schools can be effective in increasing belt use among high school students. Briefly summarized, these findings are as follows: (1) All reporting schools increased belt use during the project period, from an initial average rate of 55% to 77% by program end; (2) Seven schools finished with belt use rates greater than 90%, while five schools realized increases of 40 percentage points or more; and (3) Small amounts of money were able to generate much activity and leverage substantial additional resources - approximately $24,000 were distributed to 48 schools, reaching nearly 40,000 high school students. From the data supplied by the schools, certain observations can be made: (1) This group of high school students tended to buckle up less often than the general driving public. For the 10,938 students observed as part of the baseline survey data, the belt-wearing rate was 55%. The observational belt use survey rate for the state's general driving public at the time was 65%. (2) Belt-wearing patterns among the students closely followed the findings of adult observational surveys. Occupants of cars and mini vans buckled up more frequently than drivers of pickup trucks, full size vans and utility vehicles. The belt-wearing rate for females was higher than that for males; and drivers were more likely to buckle up than their right front passengers. (3) The seat belt programs were able to increase belt use across all categories of vehicle type, race, sex, and seating position. However, the groups that recorded the highest belt-wearing rates at the beginning of the programs continued to do so throughout the programs. (A)

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Publication

Library number
C 8776 [electronic version only] /83 /
Source

Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina UNC, Highway Safety Research Center HSRC [/ Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program GHSP (coop.)], 1993, 35 + 82 p., 10 ref.; UNC/HSRC ; 93/10/1

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This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.