Research Update: Primary Enforcement Laws Reach Groups Least Likely to Use Safety Belts
Beck LF, Shults RA, Mack KA, Ryan GW. Associations between sociodemographics and safety belt use in states with and without primary enforcement laws. American Journal of Public Health 2007; 97(9):1619-1624.
Study Findings
Primary enforcement safety belt laws may
have the greatest impact on groups least likely to wear safety belts.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers,
these groups include males, young adults, those with limited education,
Native Americans/Alaska Natives, the obese, and impaired drivers. For each
of these groups, safety belt use was at least 13 percentage points higher in
states with primary enforcement laws than those with
secondary enforcement
laws. Overall, safety belt use was 85% in primary enforcement states and 74%
in secondary enforcement states.
Safety belt use is the single most effective way to prevent
crash-related deaths. The study, “Associations between sociodemographics
and safety belt use in states with and without primary enforcement
laws,” published in the American Journal of Public Health, supports
primary enforcement laws as an effective population-based strategy to
increase overall safety belt use and to reduce disparities among
subpopulations.
Methods
CDC researchers analyzed 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
(BRFSS) data from 50 states and the District of Columbia. They performed
statistical analyses to assess the impact of sociodemographic
characteristics (i.e., gender, race and ethnicity, age, education,
household income, marital status, population density, body mass index,
and driving after drinking) and safety belt laws on self-reported safety
belt use.
Primary vs. Secondary Enforcement Laws
Primary enforcement safety belt laws allow police to stop and ticket
motorists solely for being unbelted. Secondary laws only allow police to
issue a safety belt citation if the vehicle has been stopped for another
reason (e.g., speeding). Primary laws more effectively increase safety
belt use and reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries than
secondary laws.
For More Information
To learn more about interventions to increase the use of safety belts
and other systematic reviews related to motor vehicle injury prevention,
visit www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/mvsafety.htm. To learn more about motor
vehicle-related injuries, visit
www.cdc.gov/health/motor.htm.
Page last modified: September 10, 2007