Program Activities Associated with Safety Belt Use. Volume 2, Research Report

NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Researchhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15252431987PDFResearch PaperBurkhardt, Jon E.Shannon, Jennifer A.Worthington, HannahWozny, Mark C.Block, Alan W.Ecosometrics, Inc.United States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited StatesManual safety beltsState lawsCommunity action programsEmployersPublic information programsSafety programsTraffic law enforcementCase studiesDOT-HS-807-383DTNH22-86-C-07338Blatt, Ramon C. "Jesse"Final reportBy the end of 1986, 26 states and the District of Columbia had active safety belt use laws, each supported by a variety of state and community activities. They were not equally successful, as belt-use rates ranged from 23 to 74%. To investigate these differences, this study documented the type of activities conducted by the states' implementation programs and identified specific activities at the community level that appeared to be related to higher belt use rates. The major categories of program activities were community support, employer support, public information and education, media efforts, enforcement, and adjudication. Case studies of eight communities, four with belt use above 50% and four with belt use below 50%, showed that programs in the higher-use communities maximized media market penetration, tailored and targeted messages to specific subpopulations, and showed higher levels of enforcement of safety belt violations. "Volume I: User's Summary" provides an overview of the project, descriptions of the program activities reported by the study communities, and a discussion of the activities associated with higher belt use. "Volume II: Research Report" provides detailed descriptions of the study methodology and results, tabulations of information on state programs, and charts showing activities conducted in case study communities. An appendix provides a review of 12 Model Community Program Safety Belt Projects conducted in non-law or prelaw states. /Abstract from report summary page/129