New York state enacted the first safety belt use law in the United States in 1984. This article presents research which evaluates the effects of the law by reviewing all hospital admissions from motorvehicle crashes in Monroe County, New York. Admissions for the 18 months prior to the effective date of the law were compared with those for the 18 months after the law became effective. Police accident reports and hospital records were combined and intensively reviewed.Motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists (bicycle collisions withmotor vehicles) became controls for the study. Seat belt usage was determined from police and hospital record information. Analysis of the data revealed that safety belt use among patients hospitalized because of motor vehicle accidents increased from 11.2% before the law became effective to 53% after the law became effective. Hospital admissions decreased 11.9% among motor vehicle occupants and increased 2.6% among controls. The ISS (injury severity scale) decreased from 16.01 to 14.55 for motor vehicle occupants and increased from 14.77 to 15.11 among controls. Among subjects all injuries decreased except injuries of the spine and abdomen, which increased in the postlaw period.
Abstract