TABLE OF CONTENTS

Technical Report Documentation Page
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW
PANEL MEETING LOGISTICS
ABOUT THIS REPORT
RELEVANT RISK COMMUNICATION ISSUES
	Audience research is critical
	Risk perceptions matter, but changing risk perceptions is not enough
	People do not always know why they do what they do
	Depersonalization of risk (society versus individual)
	Cognitive skills allow people to downplay risks
	Framing matters
	Risks should not be exaggerated
	Our society engenders “risk fatigue”
	It is hard to reach the remaining nonwearers
RISK COMMUNICATION ISSUES SPECIFIC TO SAFETY BELTS
	Pleasure, control, and freedom
	The meaning of a safety belt
	Driving is familiar and promotes a feeling of safety
	Automobile behaviors are tied to scripts and to start-up routines
	Situational belt use creates unique patterns of behavior
GENERAL RECOMMENDED APPROACHES
	Don’t tell people what to do
	Customize messages for the target audience
	Reframing control
	Reframing reasons for wearing belts
	Make safety belts serve a different purpose
	Reframing perceptions of who wears a belt
	Positive reinforcements
	Direct influence and changing norms
	Increased cognition
	Use of images
	Find and capitalize on moments where change can occur
	Design cars to promote belt use
	Don’t abandon enforcement efforts
RECOMMENDATIONS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO UNCONSCIOUS DEFENSES
	Overcoming repression
	Overcoming denial
	Overcoming rationalization
	Overcoming fatalism
FOLLOW-UP RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
	Table 1: Suggestions for Overcoming Defense Mechanisms Related to Belt Use
APPENDIX A: Expert Panelists and their Affiliations
APPENDIX B: Meeting Agenda
APPENDIX C: Literature Review
Citations