Citation

O'neill B, Williams AF, Karpf RS. Am. J. Public Health 1983; 73(5): 588-590.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1983, American Public Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

6837826

PMCID

PMC1650824

Abstract

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) claims, on the basis of survey results, that seat belt use in small cars is twice as high as in large cars. The agency interprets this as being due in part to perceptions of higher risk by small car occupants. In fact, little is known about the factors motivating belt use, including whether risk perception is important. A reanalysis of the NHTSA data indicates that most of the differences in belt use by car size can be explained by higher use in imported cars, and by geographical differences in belt use in domestic cars.