Citation

American Association for Automotive Medicine. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Q. J. 1984; 6(1): 8-11.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1984, American Association for Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article states the position of the American Association for Automotive Medicine (AAAM) on occupant crash protection. The AAAM has been on record for over a decade in support of requiring the use of safety restraint systems by all motor vehicle occupants. In 1977, the AAAM adopted an official position stating that there are no valid medical reasons for granting exemptions from belt use. The AAAM strongly believes that occupant crash protection is on a continuum and that there are both short and longer term solutions that must be considered and implemented as technology, public acceptability, and political realities change. The experiences of countries with mandatory laws are cited as important information germane to the current discussions underway in the United States. Also pointed out is the growing evidence strongly suggestive of a changing attitude toward safety belt use laws in the United States. Several events within the medical community in the last year illustrate that joint private-public sector action at both state and national levels is not only possible but also feasible to secure enactment of belt use laws.