A telephone survey was conducted in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Australia, during 15-27 November 1998, to compare the attitudes of drivers in these countries towards seat belt and belt use laws. For each country, a nationally representative sample was drawn from respondents who said that they had a driver's licence and were aged at least 18. Out of 29,749 numbers dialled, 2251 respondents completed the survey, with roughly equal numbers from each country. Respondents were first asked how often they used seat belts as drivers and as rear-seat passengers. Those who used seat belts at least rarely were asked to rate the importance of several reasons that might affect their decision to use a belt. They were also asked their views on how effectively seat belts could prevent injuries and fatalities and on seat belt laws. Over 90% of respondents considered seat belts effective, but self-reported belt use was significantly lower in the USA than in the other countries. US drivers were least likely to favour seat belt laws. Canadian drivers reported most experience of police checks on belt use, and were most likely to think that non-users would be caught. Seat belt use in the USA could be increased by adopting primary enforcement laws, together with very visible enforcement programmes, throughout the country.
Samenvatting