Development of a rear seat inflatable occupant restraint system. Interim report.

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

Development of an inflatable restraint system for rear seat occupants. Final report.

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

Motor vehicle safety - a review of the NTSB report on rear seat lap belt effectiveness.

Mode of access: Internet.

A Comparative Policy Analysis of Seat Belt Laws, RB37-013, 2014

This analysis examined data from a variety of sources to estimate the benefit of enhancing Iowa’s current law to require all passengers to use seat belts. In addition to assessing Iowans’ opinions about changing the law, a literature review, a legislative policy review, and analysis of Iowa crash data were completed. Currently 28 states enforce seat belt laws for all passengers. Belted passengers riding with an unbelted passenger are 2 to 5 times more likely to suffer fatal injuries in a crash relative to when all occupants are using seat belts. Iowans are highly compliant (90%-94%) with the current seat belt law for front seat occupants. Of more than 1000 Iowans surveyed, 85% said they always use a seat belt when riding in the front seat, but only 36% always do so when they ride in the back seat. The most common reasons given for not using seat belts in the back seat are forgetting to buckle up and because it is not the law. Iowans widely support strengthening Iowa’s seat belt law — 62% said Iowa law should require all rear seat passengers to use seat belts. Four out of five respondents said they would use seat belts more often when sitting in the rear seat if it was the law. It is estimated rear seat fatalities would decrease about 48%, from 13 to 7 fatalities annually, if an all-passenger law was implemented in Iowa.

Statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 207: Seat Back Locks (Only). Final report.

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

A preliminary evaluation of seat back locks for two-door passenger cars with folding front seatbacks. Technical report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Papers on adult seat belts - effectiveness and use. Technical report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Moving Beyond Teen Crash Fatality Statistics: The Go-Team Study, GOTM-000, 2013

Despite a trend of decreasing teen fatalities due to motor vehicle crashes over the past decade, they remain the leading cause of adolescent fatalities in Iowa. The purpose of this study was to create detailed case studies of each fatal motor vehicle crash involving a driver under the age of 20 that occurred in Iowa in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Data for each crash were gathered from media sources, law enforcement agencies, and the Iowa Department of Transportation. The driving records of the teens, which included their licensure history, prior traffic citations, and prior crashes, were also acquired. In addition, data about the charges filed against a teen as a result of being involved in a fatal crash were obtained. A total of 126 crashes involving 131 teen drivers that resulted in 143 fatalities were analyzed. Many findings for fatal crashes involving teen drivers in Iowa are consistent with national trends, including the overrepresentation of male drivers, crash involvement that increases with age, crash involvement per vehicle miles traveled that decreases with age, and prevalence of single-vehicle road departure crashes. Relative to national statistics, teen fatalities from crashes in Iowa are more likely to occur from midnight to 6am and from 9am to noon. Crash type varied by driver age and county population level. Teen drivers contributed to the fatal crashes at a rate of 74%; contribution of the teen driver was unknown for 11% of crashes. Speed was a factor for about 25% of the crashes for which a teen driver was at fault. The same was also true of alcohol/drug impairment. Only 20% of the rear-seat occupants of the teen drivers’ vehicles wore seat belts compared to 60% use for the front-seat occupants. Analysis of the teens’ driving records prior to the fatal crash suggests at-fault crashes and speeding violations are associated with contributing to the fatal crash.

Statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 202: Head Restraints. Final report.

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

Analysis of vehicle injury sources. Final report. Revised.

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

Effectiveness of safety belt use laws: a multinational examination. Proceedings.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Road Research Programme, Paris, France

Test and evaluation of head restraints, seat backs, and anchorages in vehicles subjected to rear impact collision. Final report.

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

Booster seat evaluation: belt anchorage location effect and performance in rear-facing seats. Final report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Lap belt angle measurement in adjustable rear seats: procedure development and vehicle survey. Final report.

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

Study of older child restraint/booster seat fit and NASS injury analysis. Final report.

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