Citation

Williams AF, Wells JK, Reinfurt D. J. Traffic Med. 1997; 25(3-4): 71-76.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Objective: To determine characteristics of motorists cited for not using seat belts, current belt use, and responses to increased penalties. Methods: Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,059 North Carolina motorists cited one or more times for not using a seat belt Results: Most respondents thought belts were effective, but there was not strong support for a law requiring their use. Compared with those with one citation, motorists with multiple citations ware younger and more likely to be male, to have less education, and to have an arrest record. Multiple violators reported less frequent belt use before and after their citation. The crash rate for violators was about double that of a random sample of North Carolinians, and the crash rate of those with multiple citations was significantly higher than that of motorists with one. About three-quarters of the violators said they would comply with the law in response to driver license points. Conclusions: Motorists cited for nonuse of belts are a high crash risk group. Increased penalties, especially driver license points, would likely be effective in increasing their belt use.