Samenvatting
This paper examines the effectiveness of seat belts in reducing injury among passenger car drivers and right front passengers. The analysis is based on more than 1. 5 million occupants involved in North Carolina crashes during the years 1973-1981. Initial results show that seat belts reduce the risk of serious injury to the driver by 58% and fatal injury by 73%. For right front passengers, the comparable figures are 53% and 66%. When a measure of vehicle deformity reflecting the severity of the crash is introduced as a control variable, these effectiveness values decline somewhat.