 Volume 14: Issue 3,1999 |
 Seat
Belts Still Saving Lives
Even
in an era of air bags and anti-lock brakes, seat belts remain the most
effective tool for preventing deaths and injuries from motor vehicle
crashes. Motor vehicle crashes in the
United States kill about 41,500 people and
injure another 3.4 million each year. Without seat belts, an additional
10,000 deaths could be expected to occur annually. In the United States,
motor vehicle crashes cost $150 billion annually in medical and emergency
expenses, lost productivity, property loss, and other costs. Proper lap-shoulder belt use reduces the risk of death to front-seat car passengers by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. For front-seat occupants of vans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks, the risk of death is reduced by 60 percent and the risk of injury by 65 percent when lap-shoulder belts are used correctly. A 1996 study of 10
States by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
found that Medicare, Medicaid, and other government sources finance 24
percent of inpatient hospital costs for victims of motor vehicle crashes.
If seat belt usage for front-seat passengers in cars and light trucks
increased from the current national average of 70 percent to 85 percent,
NHTSA estimates that Medicare and Medicaid would save $275 million per year.
Annual savings would total $356 million with a 90 percent usage rate. Declining Death Rates Today,
the number of vehicles on the road and vehicle miles traveled are the
highest ever, but death rates
from motor vehicle crashes have fallen steadily since 1981. This decrease
is largely due to the use of seat belts, which prevent people from hitting
dashboards, windshields, and other objects inside a vehicle during a
crash. Seat belts also keep people from being thrown from the vehicle,
reducing their risk of injury and death. Healthy People 2010, the next set of health objectives for the Nation, contains several objectives related to traffic safety, including seat belt usage. (Healthy People 2010 will be officially launched in Washington, DC, at the “Partnerships for Health in the New Millennium” conference on January 24-28, 2000. See www.health.gov/partnerships) Expanded Federal government efforts to prevent deaths and injuries on the road began about four decades ago. In the mid-1960s, auto manufacturers began installing front- and back-seat lap belts in new cars, along with other safety features, such as shatter-resistant windshields. The National Highway Safety Bureau, the precursor to NHTSA, required the addition of shoulder harnesses starting on January 1, 1968. NHTSA amended the rule in the early 1970s to require a lap-shoulder belt system that could be fastened in one motion. In the mid-1980s, seat belt usage rates rose dramatically. Thirty-one States passed mandatory seat belt laws from 1984 to 1987. Forty-nine States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all U.S. territories now have seat belt laws. New Hampshire has only a child passenger safety law. State laws requiring seat belt use are classified as either secondary or primary laws. Thirty-eight States use secondary enforcement, which requires a police officer to stop a violator for another infraction before issuing a citation for failure to buckle up. Eleven States have primary laws, which allow an officer to stop a motorist and issue a ticket for failure to wear a seat belt. In addition to State laws requiring motorists to buckle up, increased usage is also a result of collaborative and independent efforts involving many stakeholders: the U.S. Congress; Federal, State, and local agencies, including law enforcement agencies; companies and industry groups; advocacy and educational organizations; and private citizens. Progress has been aided by educational and advocacy campaigns, which support the passage of primary laws and promote such motorist protection measures as seat belt usage. “Buckle
Up America” One
collaborative campaign backed by a public-private partnership is
“Buckle Up America,” a national initiative launched in 1997. “Buckle
Up America” is working to raise seat belt usage to 85 percent by 2000
and 90 percent by 2005. The campaign features a collaborative effort by
the U.S. Congress, Federal agencies, States, national organizations and coalitions,
industry, and communities to promote the proper use of seat belts. NHTSA is the lead agency
for “Buckle Up America,” which addresses three major needs: • Development of an education campaign by public and private sectors. •
Enactment of strong State seat belt legislation and active,
high-visibility law enforcement programs. •
Assistance from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve
State laws. Another education initiative, the “Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign,” is sponsored by a partnership of more than 150 groups under the umbrella of the National Safety Council. This program is working to educate the public about maximizing air bag protection through the proper use of seat belts. The campaign’s sponsors include automakers, insurance companies, occupant restraint manufacturers, government agencies, health professionals, and other stakeholders. The campaign circulates its message through TV, radio, and print ads. Protecting
Children Child
protection is a strong component of education and advocacy programs
because motor vehicle crashes
are the number one cause of unintentional injury-related
deaths for children aged 1 to 14 years. Each year, more than 1,500
children in this age group die in vehicle crashes, and about 280,000 are
injured. The “Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign,” in cooperation with NHTSA, sponsors “Operation ABC Mobilization.” This initiative is a nationwide effort by State law enforcement to crack down on drivers who fail to buckle up kids. During the program’s two annual implementation periods—in May and November—all 50 States bolster enforcement of their seat belt and child passenger safety laws, in part, by setting up child safety checkpoints. African Americans post disproportionately high injury and fatality rates in motor vehicle crashes, and they are 10 percent less likely than whites or Hispanics to use seat belts. African American teens use seat belts about 70 percent of the time, while white and Hispanic teens have an 80 percent usage rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for African Americans aged 1 to 14 years and the second-leading cause of death for African Americans aged 15 to 24 years. If the African American community increased seat belt usage by 90 percent, NHTSA estimates that 1,300 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries a year could be prevented. The National
Black Caucus of State Legislators and the National Organization for Black
Law Enforcement Executives are working to promote and enforce seat belt
laws. The Congressional Black Caucus is pushing for the enactment of
primary seat belt laws in every State. The objectives in Healthy People 2010 can serve as excellent platforms on which congressional, education, advocacy, and other programs can base their traffic safety campaigns. Another resource is CDC, which conducts motor vehicle safety research at its Atlanta headquarters and at many of its 10 Injury Prevention Research Centers located throughout the Nation. CDC publishes traffic safety-related data and recommendations in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and in peer-reviewed publications such as the American Journal of Public Health. The February 5, 1999, issue of MMWR, for example, recommends the use of belt-positioning booster seats as essential until children are 58 inches tall, have a sitting height of 29 inches, and weigh 80 pounds. NHTSA also publishes traffic safety-related information from its Fatality Analysis Reporting System. In all, the actions of stakeholders—from the U.S. Congress to government agencies to public-private partnerships to communities and individuals—will be instrumental in reducing injury and death rates from motor vehicle crashes in the coming years. Seat belts will continue to be the most effective tool for preventing injuries and saving lives on the Nation’s highways. Select
Traffic Safety Resources The
Department of Health
and Human Services’
gateway
to consumer health information Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration National
Safety Council Air
Bag and Seat Belt Safety
Campaign Operation
Lifesaver, Inc. SafetyBeltSafe,
U.S.A. MADD American
Driver and American
Traffic Safety Network
of Employers AAA
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