Abstract
New York State enacted the first safety belt use law in the United States in 1984. The law is evaluated by comparing all hospital admissions from motor vehicle crashes in Monroe County for 18 months prior to the effective date of the law with a similar sample after the law became effective. 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.