One of the ore interesting behavioural issues in traffic safety is the use of safety belts. Engaging in this behaviour involves a good deal of personal choice by the driver, given that most statutes call for secondary enforcement of mandatory use laws. A similar situation exists with respect to turn signal use, where drivers are rarely cited for failure to use turn signals except as secondary to an accident or some other violation. Because the use of safety belts and turn signals involves a great deal of personal choice by drivers, it was thought that these behaviours reflect certain aspects of a driver's disposition and should, therefore, be positively correlated. From this rationale, it was hypothesised that there would be a significant and positive relationship between the tendency to use safety belts and the tendency to use turn signals. Field observation of driver behaviour supported this hypothesis in two separate studies conducted before and after the enforcement of Indiana's mandatory use safety belt law. Even though the use of safety belts increased after the law went into effect, those drivers who did not use safety belts still tended not to use turn signals. Finally, a discussion of the policy implications of these findings draws upon the growing body of literature in areas that may offer useful analogies -- motorcycle helmet laws, drunk driving legislation -- in an attempt to focus the promotion of safety belt use.
Samenvatting