Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for North Dakota youth. Appropriate occupant protection significantly reduces the risk of these preventable injuries. Previous research shows that risk for fatal and serious injury increases by 50% to 70% when occupants fail to use safety restraint systems. In addition, youth in front seat positions are substantial more likely to suffer serious injury outcomes. An observational field study was conducted to measure youth occupant restraint use in the state. Overall, the weighted youth occupant protection use rate was 95.7% in 2016. This use rate creates a benchmark for safety stakeholders working to instill positive traffic safety behaviors as common practice. The observation method was selected for this performance metric to minimize bias in extrapolating sample field data to the population in terms of observed practices. In addition, supplemental analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with positive youth occupant restraint decision outcomes. (Author/publisher)
Abstract