Automatic safety belt systems: changes in owner usage over time in GM Chevettes and VW Rabbits. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Effectiveness of safety belt warning and interlock systems. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Factors related to seat belt use : A Turkish case

Seat belts are effective safety devices used to protect car occupants from severe injuries and fatalities during road vehicle accidents. Despite the proven effectiveness of seat belts, seat belt use rates are quite low, especially in developing countries, such as Turkey. The general aim of the present study was to investigate a large variety of factors related to seat belt use among Turkish car occupants using different perspectives and methods and therefore, to contribute to the design of effective seat belt use interventions for increasing seat belt use rates in Turkey. Five sub-studies were conducted within the present study. In the first sub-study, environmental (e.g., road type) and psycho-social factors (e.g., belt use by other car occupants) related to the seat belt use of front-seat occupants were investigated using observation techniques. Being male, of a young age, and traveling on city roads were the main factors negatively related to seat belt use. Furthermore, seat belt use by the drivers and front-seat passengers was highly correlated and a significant predictors of each other. In the second sub-study, the motivations of the car occupants for seat belt use and non-use were investigated using interview techniques. Situational conditions, such as traveling on city roads and for short distances, and not believing in the effectiveness and relevance of seat belt use for safety, were the most frequently reported reasons for not using a seat belt. Safety, habit and avoiding punishment were among the most frequently reported reasons for using a seat belt. In the third sub-study, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Health Belief Model (HBM) were applied to seat belt use using Structural Equation Modeling techniques. The TPB model showed a good fit to the data, whereas the HBM showed a poor fit to the data. Within the TPB model, attitude and subjective norm were significant predictors of intentions to use a seat belt on both urban and rural roads. In the fourth sub-study, seat belt use frequency and motivations for seat belt use among taxi drivers were investigated and compared between free-time and work-time driving using a survey. The results showed that taxi drivers used seat belts more when driving a private car in their free-times compared to when driving a taxi during their work-times. The lack of a legal obligation to use a seat belt in city traffic and fear of being attacked or robbed by the passengers were found as two specific reasons for not using a seat belt when driving a taxi. Lastly, in the fifth sub-study, the relationship of seat belt use to driver and health behaviors was investigated using a survey. Although seat belt use was related both to health and driver behaviors, factor analysis results showed that it grouped with driver behaviors. Based on the results of the sub-studies, a tentative empirical model showing different predictors of seat belt use was proposed. According to the model, safety and normative motivations and perceived physical barriers related to seat belt use are the three important predictors of seat belt use. Keywords: Seat belt use; environmental factors; psycho-social factors; safety and normative motivations; the Theory of Planned Behavior; the Health Belief Model; health behaviors; driver behaviors; front-seat occupants; taxi drivers; Turkey.

A methodology for analyzing general categorical data with misclassification errors with an application in studying seat belt effectiveness. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Overrepresentation of seat belt non-users in traffic crashes.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Seat belt performance in 30 mph barrier impacts. NHTSA technical report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Seat belt performance of manual and automatic systems installed in the GM Chevrolet Chevette and the VW Rabbit. Technical report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Seat Belt Convictions by County of Occurrence - 2011 to 2014, May 8, 2015

Convictions of seat belt violations by county for the state of Iowa from 2011-2014.

2000 Seat Belt Usage Survey, September 13, 2001

The good news is that safety belt usage on municipal road systems (city streets) increased 1.07 percent. This is encouraging since more than 45 percent of all motor vehicle crashes occur on city streets, and usage on the municipal road system has consistently been the lowest of the road systems studied. In communities where usage is good, enforcement and public education must be maintained in order to improve usage further; in communities where usage is still low, enforcement and public education must both be increased. Usage on the primary system (U.S. or state highways) rose 1.01 percent from the previous year. This is also welcome news because almost half of all fatalities (49 percent) occur on the primary road system. There was a decline in interstate belt use (-1.45 percent). Despite this decrease interstate usage is still traditionally the highest of all roadway categories presumably because the longer trips, higher travel speeds and large number of vehicles cause drivers to assume there is greater risk.

1999 Seat Belt Usage Survey, March 15, 2000

The 78 percent seat belt usage rate in 1999 (up 7 percent since 1992) reflects active enforcement and education efforts that have occurred in Iowa during the last few years. Through continuing education of the public, an active "Life Toll" campaign, seat belt enforcement, and other cooperative efforts between state and local law enforcement, Iowa will strive to increase the use of seat belts and save lives on Iowa roadways.

1998 Seat Belt Usage Survey, February 18, 1999

The 78 percent seat belt usage rate in 1999 (up 7 percent since 1992) reflects active enforcement and education efforts that have occurred in Iowa during the last few years. Through continuing education of the public, an active "Life Toll" campaign, seat belt enforcement, and other cooperative efforts between state and local law enforcement, Iowa will strive to increase the use of seat belts and save lives on Iowa roadways.

2001 Seat Belt Usage Survey, April 23, 2003

The 81 percent seat belt usage rate in 2001 (up 10 percent since 1992) reflects active enforcement and education efforts that have occurred in Iowa during the last few years. Through continuing education of the public, an active "Life Toll" campaign, seat belt enforcement, and other cooperative efforts between state and local law enforcement, Iowa will strive to increase the use of seat belts and save more lives on Iowa roadways.

2002 Seat Belt Usage Survey, February 26, 2003

The 82 percent seat belt usage rate in 2002 (up 11 percent since 1992) reflects active enforcement and education efforts that have occurred in Iowa during the last few years. Through continuing education of the public, an active "Life Toll" campaign, seat belt enforcement, and other cooperative efforts between state and local law enforcement, Iowa will strive to increase the use of seat belts and save more lives on Iowa roadways.

2004 Seat Belt Usage Survey, August 15, 2005

The 86.4 percent safety-belt usage rate in 2004 (an increase of 13 percent since 1994) reflects active enforcement and education efforts that have occurred in Iowa over the course of the last decade. Through continuing education of the public with programs in the school and communities, the “Click it or Ticket” campaign, an active “Life Toll” campaign, year-long safety belt enforcement, and other cooperative efforts between state and local law enforcement, Iowa will strive to increase the use of safety belts and save more lives on Iowa roadways.

2005 Seat Belt Usage Survey, June 12, 2006

During the spring and summer of 2005, two surveys were taken of motor vehicle drivers’ and passengers’ seat belt usage. These surveys are before and after parts of the “Click it or Ticket” education and enforcement campaign. The whole project starts with a pre-campaign survey followed by the four-week public information, education and enforcement campaign. Finally, the postcampaign survey is taken to test the effectiveness of the education and enforcement campaign. In the pre-campaign survey of seat belt usage, the usage/non-usage of 15,444 front seat occupants of cars, vans, SUVs and pickups were observed at 100 locations. In the post-campaign survey of seat belt usage, 15,731 observations were made of front seat occupants of cars, vans, SUVs and pickups. The day of the week and time of day the observations took place were selected for each site using a random number generation computer program.