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An Evaluation of the Relationship Between the Seat Belt Usage Rates of Front Seat Occupants and Their Drivers
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Vasudevan, Vinod V. Nambisan, Shashi S. |
| Copyright Year | 2007 |
| Abstract | Death as a result of ejection of unrestrained occupants from the vehicle is the highest cause of fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. In 2002, in the United States, about 70% of unrestrained occupants fatal motor vehicle crashes were ejected and killed. Data from the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that overall seat belt usage rates in the United States are showing an increasing trend. However, a review of the literature did not reveal any prior studies regarding whether the seat belt usage of a driver affects the seat belt usage of passengers in the same vehicle. This paper provides a summary of an analysis to identify the seat belt usage rates of front seat occupants in a vehicle based on the seat belt usages of their drivers for three vehicle types: sedans/station wagons, pick-up trucks, and vans/SUVs. The results show that irrespective of the vehicle type, the seat belt usage rates of front seat occupants change significantly with the driver’s seat belt usage characteristics. When the drivers use seat belts, there is a significant increase in the overall usage rates of front seat occupants, whereas when the drivers do not use seat belts, there is a substantial decrease in front seat occupants’ seat belt usage rates. However, in general, the seat belt usage rates by drivers have a bigger impact on the seat belt usage rates of passengers in pick-up trucks than in sedans or vans. This indicates that media campaigns and enforcement campaigns could be effective by focusing on drivers’ seat belt usage, and this would increase the seat belt usage rates of front seat occupants as well. Equally, strategies to increase seat belt usage by occupants (e.g., education) are likely to lead to increases in seat belt usage by drivers. This result also means that by observing seat belt usage rates of drivers, the seat belt usage pattern of front seat occupants could be estimated. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/pubs/midcon2007/VasudevanBelt.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
