Retrospective trend analyses of changes in seat belt usage rates during the six years of National Occupant Restraint Program (NORP) demonstrate that the goal was quite realistic. Through National Seat Belt Use Surveys conducted annually by Transport Canada (1996) it was possible to monitor and assess improvements in occupant restraint usage. Two of the most significant and encouraging results revealed that national seat belt usage rates for drivers of passenger vehicles increased from 73.9% in 1989 to 91.6% in 1994 - a percentage increase of about 24% and very close to the 6-year target objective established by NORP, and the usage rate for occupants of light-duty vehicles increased from 68% to 87% during the same period resulting in a 28% percentage increase. The major issue that required addressing, however, was to evaluate any safety impacts that can be attributed to the NORP program. In particular, there is a need to know whether the observed increases in seat belt usage rates over the program period yielded significant benefits (ie reductions in fatalities and injuries for collision-involved motor vehicle occupants), and if so, to measure the extent and value of these benefits towards the ultimate goal - improving road safety. These general objectives formed the basis for the research study reported on in this paper. (A)
Samenvatting