Seat belts are credited with saving thousands of lives each year, yet a significant portion of the US population (about 13%) does not use a seat belt every time they are in a moving vehicle. Belt use rates vary considerably from state to state. In 2014, belt use ranged from 68.9% in South Dakota up to 97.8% in Oregon. Nineteen states have belt use rates above 90%, but a majority of states, including Louisiana, have seat belt use rates below 87%. Increasing seat belt use remains a major national priority, as evidenced by modifications to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) highway safety grant program requirements and provisions in legislation such as the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” (MAP-21). States may qualify for grant funds as a “high seat belt rate state” or a “low seat belt rate state” by meeting the provisions outlined for the respective categories. NHTSA defines a high seat belt rate state as one with an observed belt-use rate at 90% or above. Anything below 90% is considered a “low” rate state by these new guidelines. Among the requirements, all states must maintain an occupant protection plan and participate in the national “Click it or Ticket” (CIOT) enforcement activities, but the low rate states must also meet at least three of six legal or programmatic criteria to increase seat belt use, such as conducting sustained enforcement activities, developing countermeasures for low-use (or high-risk) groups in the population, and passing primary enforcement seat belt laws. National as well as state data show that as belt use nears 90%, it is harder to increase belt use among the low-use populations, who are most at-risk for fatal or serious injury crashes. People less likely to use seat belts are typically younger, unmarried, and of a lower socio-economic status (SES) both in education and income. In general, men are more likely to fall into this category, as are pickup truck drivers. Individuals belonging to one or more of these demographic groups are already associated with having a higher crash risk. Un-belted vehicle occupants are disproportionally killed in fatal crashes and many of these are young drivers under the age of 25. Unbelted drivers are more likely to commit other moving violations such as speeding, running red lights, and following too closely than drivers who always use a seat belt. Accordingly, it stands to reason that a meaningful increase in belt use among these known low-use groups would increase state belt use rates and by extension, decrease the number of roadway fatalities. Existing data (e.g., crash statistics, observational surveys, and attitudinal surveys) indicate there are substantial demographic differences in belt use in Louisiana. Males are less likely to be belted than females (78.5% vs. 87%); African Americans are less likely to be belted than Caucasians (77.4% vs. 85%); nighttime occupants are less likely to be belted than day-time occupants (76.3% vs. 85%); pickup truck occupants are less likely to be belted than occupants of cars (76.4% vs. 85%) and SUVs (76.4% vs. 86.1%). Drivers 24 years of age and younger are less likely to be belted than older drivers. This latter finding is also corroborated by fatality statistics in the state, which show that a high percentage of young drivers killed were unbelted. For instance, in 2012, 63% of all killed occupants age 24 and younger were unbelted compared to 38% of seniors age 65 and older. The roadside survey also shows that there are regional differences in belt use, with a 12.9 percentage point spread between the region with the highest belt use and the region with the lowest belt use. Previous efforts to increase seat belt use among part-time and non-users have had limited success among high-risk groups. Current trends indicate it may take 10 years before belt use in Louisiana reaches a 90% rate. In order to achieve a more rapid increase in belt use, either significantly more resources must be deployed for seat belt enforcement and media coverage or the current resource deployment has to be optimized using a more targeted approach. Understanding why a motorist is not using a seat belt, e.g., various motivational factors affecting belt use, is critical for developing targeted communication strategies and effective countermeasure programs. Implementing countermeasures for these high-risk populations is one way in which Louisiana can meet NHTSA’s MAP-21 requirements to increase belt use in the state. Thus, the primary purpose of this project is to determine factors influencing belt use in Louisiana in order to provide belt-use information about targeted groups of motorists that can be used by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission (LHSC), the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and other agencies for developing more effective and efficient seat belt enforcement and media coverage for the purpose of increasing belt use in Louisiana. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting