Monday,
March 10, 2003
NHTSA 5-03
Contact: Ellen Martin
Telephone: (202) 366-9550
Safety
Belt Use by African Americans Registers Sharp Increase to Record Level, Latest
NHTSA Belt Use Survey Shows
Safety
belt use among African Americans registered a major gain between 2000 and 2002,
increasing to essentially the same level as that of the general population,
according to estimates from a major survey conducted by the U.S. Department of
Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The
new data were released today by NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D.,
during a speech before the Lifesavers 2003 conference in Chicago. Also at the
conference, the largest annual gathering of highway safety professionals, Dr.
Runge presented 14 NHTSA awards for public service.
The
latest NHTSA survey indicates that African Americans currently use safety belts
77 percent of the time, an 8 percentage point increase since 2000 and the
highest level reported since the agency began conducting such surveys nine years
ago. The comparable figure for the overall U.S. population is now 75 percent.
“These
numbers are the result of years of hard work by our traffic safety partners in
the African American community. This is extremely heartening,” Dr. Runge said,
“and will quickly result in fewer deaths and injuries to our citizens.”
Gains
in safety belt use by African Americans are attributable to a significant degree
to efforts by the Meharry Medical College, the Blue Ribbon Panel To Increase
Seat Belt Use Among African Americans, and to a number of African American
organizations that implemented the panel’s recommendation, Dr. Runge said.
In
addition to other findings from the survey, the new NHTSA statistics indicate
that the gender gap for safety belt use is narrowing, although males still lag
females by 7 percentage points. That compares with a 10 percentage point
difference in 2000. Males are now
restrained 72 percent of the time, while females use safety belts 79 percent of
the time.
The latest NHTSA survey also shows a significant improvement in safety belt use among youths. Those in the 8- to 15-year-old age group were restrained 82 percent of the time in the 2002 survey. The most comparable estimate from the previous survey for 2000 showed that 66 percent of youths age 5 to 15 were buckled up.
In
February, NHTSA reported that restraint use among young children rose to a
record level in 2002. An estimated
99 percent of infants under age one are now restrained, up 4 percentage points
from 2000. Fully 94 percent of
toddlers are now restrained, a 3 percentage point gain over two years ago. The
latest statistics indicate that 83 percent of children ages four to seven are
restrained. No comparable statistics are available for this age group from
previous NHTSA surveys.
Restraint
use estimates are based on the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS),
conducted periodically by NHTSA. The
latest survey was conducted in June 2002 and its results were compared with a
prior NOPUS survey done in the fall of 2000, which also tracked safety belt use
among various demographic groups.
Additional key findings of the latest NOPUS survey include the following:
·
Safety belt use among young people ages 16 to 24 remained constant
between 2000 and 2002 at 69 percent, the lowest level of use for any age group.
·
Belt use among those in rural areas increased to 73 percent in
2002, a 5 percentage point gain.
·
Males riding in pickup trucks are restrained only 65 percent of
the time, compared with 74 percent in other types of vehicles.
Females are restrained 80 percent of the time in passenger cars, 82
percent in vans and sport utility vehicles, and 71 percent in pickup trucks.
NHTSA
has been gathering NOPUS statistics on restraint use since 1994.
The latest numbers were derived from a survey conducted during a 20-day
period beginning on June 3, 2002. NHTSA data collectors observed 37,900 vehicles
at 1,100 intersections throughout the United States.
In the course of the survey, they observed 37,900 drivers and 11,600
passengers. These included 38,100
whites, 6,000 African Americans and 5,400 other individuals.
The margin of error for the survey on restraint use is plus
or minus 4.4 percentage points for African Americans, 3.2 percentage points for
whites, and 3.8 for other racial groups. The newly released NHTSA survey results are summarized in a
research note on the agency’s Website at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/airbags/seatbelts.htm/Demographics.html
In addition to releasing the latest statistics on safety belt at the Lifesavers Conference in Chicago, Dr. Runge today presented the 2003 NHTSA Awards for Public Service to the following individuals and organizations:
·
Chief
William Berger of the North Miami Beach, FL Police Department.
As the Immediate Past President of the International Association of
Chiefs of Police, Chief Berger provided national leadership to engage law
enforcement in traffic safety initiatives.
·
Chief
John Coffey of the Pennsauken, NJ Police Department. Chief Coffey has shown his commitment to keeping impaired
drivers off New Jersey roadways.
·
Illinois
State Sen. John Cullerton. Senator
Cullerton championed highway safety programs and legislation in Illinois.
·
Sgt. Merl
Evans of the Ridgely, MD Police Department. Sgt. Evans provided commitment and creativity to the
promotion of highway safety in Maryland.
·
Robert S.
Hall, Ed.D. of New Orleans. Dr.
Hall volunteered his time and energy to reducing the incidence of motor vehicle
crashes in Louisiana through many years of volunteer work to educate the public,
law enforcement and students on the tragedy of unsafe driving.
·
Lt.
William L. (“Luther”) Hires of the Jessup, GA Police Department.
Lt. Hires provided leadership, dedication and commitment to reducing
crashes, injuries, and fatalities on Georgia’s roadways.
·
Deb
Hubsmith, of San Anselmo, CA, Executive Director of the Marin County Bicycle
Coalition. Ms. Hubsmith showed her
initiative by creating a comprehensive Safe Routes to School program for 21
schools in Marin County.
·
Richard
Hunt, M.D. of Syracuse, NY, Past President of the National Association of
Emergency Medical Services Physicians and Chair, Department of Emergency
Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Dr. Hunt’s vision and leadership were instrumental in realizing the
potential of emergency medical services for the benefit of public health and
safety.
·
Jeff
Linkenbach, Ed.D., Director, Montana Social Norms Project, Montana State
University, Bozeman, MT. Dr. Linkenbach advanced statewide social norms research
strategies to reduce impaired driving and increase safety belt use.
·
Washington
State Representative John Lovick of Olympia, WA. Rep. Lovick demonstrated superior commitment to public safety
through legislative accomplishments, including sponsorship of a primary safety
belt law for the State of Washington.
· Mairi Nelson, Public Information Officer, Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver. Ms. Nelson dedicated herself to improving the safety of Colorado’s roadways by organizing high-profile safety campaigns to increase safety belt use and decrease impaired driving.
·
Neil
Smith, Buckle Up America 5K Run/Walk program, Blue Springs, MO. The Neil Smith
Family dedicated itself to increasing safety belt use through the Buckle Up
America 5K Run/Walk program, designed to encourage individuals to save the lives
of friends and family.
·
Tomi St.
Mars, Injury Prevention Coordinator, Desert Samaritan Medical Center, Mesa, AZ.
Ms. St. Mars displayed initiative in partnering with the Indian Health
Services and the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to implement a
child passenger safety curriculum for Native American tribes and communities
across the United States.
·
Vermont
Click It or Ticket Team. The
Vermont Highway Safety Agency led the creation of a strong partnership between
itself, state and local police and county sheriffs for a highly publicized
enforcement mobilization, which achieved a 19 percent increase in safety belt
use during May 2002.
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