Identifying Targets for Improvement in Nighttime Seat Belt Use [Traffic Tech]

NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Researchhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15258852010PDFBriefUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited StatesEnvironmentFatalitiesNightPersons and personal characteristicsSeat belt useSeat beltsTraffic safetyVehicle characteristicsNumber 390Previous research has found that the proportion of unbelted fatalities is greater at night than during the day. Failure to use seat belts has been identified as an important factor in nighttime fatalities, yet there are still many gaps in our knowledge about seat belt use at night. The primary objective of this project was to examine the day and night difference in seat belt use under different personal, environmental, and vehicle characteristics, in order to identify anomalies that indicate specific traffic safety problems. Differences in day and night use in primary and secondary enforcement law States were also compared, and an analysis was performed to examine day and night seat belt use in States that changed their seat belt law from secondary to primary during the 1998-2007 period.129