Drivers who have passengers, particularly children, are more likely to be buckled than those who do not. This result is from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which provides the only probability-based observed data on safety belt use in the United States. The NOPUS is conducted annually by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Specifically the survey found that 86 percent of drivers with at least one child passenger between the ages of 0 and 7 were belted, compared to 79 percent for other drivers. Fully 83 percent of drivers with at least one passenger were belted, compared to 78 percent of drivers driving alone. The 2004 survey also found the following: * Women continue to use safety belts more than men do. In 2004, 83 percent of female motorists were belted, compared to 77 percent for males; * There continue to be no statistically significant differences in belt use among racial groups. In 2004, 80 percent of motorists characterized as White by roadside observers used safety belts, compared to 80 percent of those characterized as Black, and 79 percent of the remaining motorists; and * in the first observed nationwide probability-based estimate of safety belt use in the rear seat of passenger vehicles, NOPUS found that 47 percent of rear-seat occupants were belted, compared to 80 percent in the front seat. (Author/publisher)
Abstract