The present survey reports the results of a direct observation survey of safety belt use conducted in the fall of 1997. In this study, 10,307 occupants travelling in four vehicle types (passenger cars, sport-utility vehicles, vans, and pickup trucks) were surveyed between August 28 and September 18, 1997. Belt use was estimated separately for each vehicle type. Within each vehicle type, belt use by age, gender, road type, day of week, and time of day was calculated. Overall belt use for passenger cars was 70.1 percent, 69.5 percent for sport-utility vehicles, 68.7 percent for vans, and 56.6 percent for pickup trucks. The safety belt use rate for passenger cars did not change from last year. While still the lowest rate by any vehicle type, the use rate for pickup trucks increased nearly ten percentage points from last year's survey. For all vehicle types, belt use was higher for females than males, and for children three years of age or younger. In general, belt use was high during the morning commute, and belt use did not vary systematically by time of day, day of week, or weather conditions. The results suggest that maintenance of effective public information and education programs, increased enforcement of secondary belt use laws, implementation of standard enforcement of mandatory safety belt use, and targeting programs at low use populations, could be effective in increasing compliance with the safety belt use law. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting