Increasing seat belt usage in the United States has proved to be a slow and difficult task. It has taken about 30 years since NHTSA conducted the first seat belt and child restraint workshops in 1978 to reach 84% usage in 2009. In general, seat belt laws and their enforcement have received the greatest emphasis since 1984. There has been less emphasis on increasing fine amounts as a means to increase usage, in spite of positive circumstantial and research evidence. Bedford Research and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation conducted a study for NHTSA to determine the relative impact of primary seat belt laws and fine amounts on seat belt usage. This research examined changes in usage associated with past activities and estimated gains that might be expected in the future. (Author/publisher) To order Strategies to Increase Seat Belt Use: An Analysis of Levels of Fines and the Type of Law (40 pages plus appendices), write to the Office of Behavioral Safety Research, NHTSA, NTI-130, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, fax 202-366-7394, or download from http://www.nhtsa.gov.
Samenvatting