Abstract
The aim of this study has been to analyse how the use of safety belt relates to the severity of the injury and to identify factors that are characteristic of non-belted injured people. Safety belt use among front seat occupants increased with age and was highest among women (86%). Less than half of those with serious, severe or critical injuries had used safety belts; in densely populated areas only a third. Slightly more than half of the rear seat passengers and only half of all victims injured during the night had used safety belts. Among drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs and treated as inpatients, only one in five were restrained. (Author/publisher).