Safety Belt Usage: Survey of the Traffic Population

NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Researchhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15249831978PDFResearch PaperStowell, CarolBryant, JosephKirschner AssociatesUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationManual safety beltsAutomobiles by typeHuman characteristicsSocioeconomic areasSurveysStatisticsDOT-HS-803-354NTIS-PB282110DOT-HS-6-01340Final reportThe objectives of this study were to assess safety belt usage in cars manufactured between 1964 and 1977 and to examine usage as a function of type of car, driver characteristics, and driving environment. A survey of passenger cars in 16 cities was conducted across an 8-month period by observing safety belt usage by drivers as they stopped for traffic signals at primary road intersections and freeway exits. A supplementary survey was conducted at O'Hare airport rental car check-ins to compare usage of single versus dual retractor safety belts. Overall safety belt usage was found to be 18.5%, with usage of the lap-shoulder combination belt system significantly higher than that of the lap-shoulder separate or lap-belt only systems. In terms of model year, usage was highest for 1974 cars. Usage in terms of car style was higher for smaller than larger cars. This finding paralleled a differential usage by car manufacturer in terms of the size of cars these manufacturers produced. Other findings were that usage was higher on the West Coast than on the East Coast, higher at freeway exits than at primary road intersections, and higher during rush hours than during other times of the day. Men tended to wear safety belts less often than women, and older drivers used safety belts less often than younger ones. Drivers with correctly positioned head restraints tended to wear safety belts more often than those with head restraints incorrectly positioned. Finally, the results of the O'Hare rental car survey indicated no difference in usage rates between the single and dual retractor systems. /Abstract from report summary page/129