2009 Safety Belt Usage Survey in Kentucky

The objective of this study was to establish 2009 safety belt and child safety seat usage rates in Kentucky. The 2009 survey continues to document the results after enactment of the original “secondary enforcement” statewide mandatory safety belt law in 1994 and the subsequent change to “primary enforcement” which was enacted in 2006. Data were collected at 160 randomly selected sites in 18 counties across Kentucky. Data from the individual sites were combined into a statewide percentage considering roadway functional classification, county, and vehicle miles traveled. The data show that the usage rate in 2009 (79.7 percent) increased several percentage points compared to 2008 (73.3 percent). The usage rate had increased from 67 percent in 2006 to 72 percent in 2007 after the enactment of “primary enforcement” legislation. The rate had increased from 42 percent in 1993 to 58 percent in 1994 after enactment of the original mandatory safety belt law. The 2009 statewide usage rate for children under the age of four was determined to be 98.6 percent. This continues the very high rate for this age category. Usage rates varied by highway functional classification. The highest rate of 86.0 percent was on interstates and parkways, with the lowest rate of 72.4 percent on collector roads. The rate by county varied from a high of 85.9 percent in Fayette County to a low of 65.6 percent in Knott County. The usage rate by vehicle type varied from 83.7 percent for vans to a low of 69.0 percent for pickup trucks. The statewide usage rate for motorcycle helmets was 63.7 percent. This shows an increase from the 2008 rate of 58 percent