Shoulder belt use was observed on 64 consecutive or alternate days at a highway and a downtown survey site in Eastern Ontario. Other data, including sex, age, meteorological conditions and moving speed, were likewise collected on a grand total of 29,685 drivers passing the observation sites in time periods in which seat belt wearing was either voluntary or compulsory and in which the speed limit was 70 mph or 60 mph. The results indicate inter alia that the sex and age distributions of passing drivers, their moving speeds, and shoulder belt utilisation rates changed as a function of weather conditions. Shoulder belt use was found to be associated with sex, age, weather and survey location. The seat belt wearing law and the reduced speed limit influenced not only average wearing rates and mean moving speeds, but also the sensitivity of these variables to varying meteorological conditions. (Author)
Samenvatting