Higher Belt Use Among Teens Linked to Strong Belt Laws, According to New Study

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Teen seat belt use rates in states with strong belt laws are consistently and significantly higher, presenting compelling evidence of the need to enact primary laws throughout the United States, according to a new study released today by the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign of the National Safety Council. The 18 states with primary seat belt use laws allow law enforcement officers to stop and ticket motorists based solely on an observed seat belt violation.

The study found that teenage drivers in secondary states were far less likely to be buckled up in fatal crashes. Belt use was 47 percent among fatally injured 16 to 19 year-old drivers in states with primary laws, compared to 30 percent in states with secondary laws.

"We've known all along that teens are less likely to buckle up and more likely to die in crashes, but now we know the greatest predictor of teen belt use is the presence and enforcement of a primary seat belt law," said Chuck Hurley, Executive Director of the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign.

"This study proves that the most effective way to get teens buckled up is to pass a strong seat belt law that covers all passengers, not just front seat passengers or younger drivers," said National Safety Council President Alan McMillan. "This study should be on the desk of every state legislator in the country. Anyone who cares about saving young lives on our nation's roadways should act on these findings."

In an effort to build support for stronger seat belt requirements, McMillan is transmitting a copy of the study to the governors of the 32 states that do not have primary belt use laws.

Caught in a lethal intersection of inexperience, risk taking and low seat belt use, teens and young adults are killed at far higher rates in crashes than older drivers. Fatality rates for teens are twice those of older drivers and the risk of crashes for teens is four times that of older drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 4,216 teens, ages 16-19, died and thousands more were injured in traffic crashes in 2000.

The study was based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a large database managed by NHTSA that contains information on virtually all fatal crashes on public roads in the U.S. FARS data are deemed very precise because belt use at the time of a fatality is determined and recorded.

"The data are substantial and present compelling evidence to support the enactment of primary belt laws," said Anne McCartt, of PRG Research Group, Inc., and author of the study. "This study is intended not only to provide a richer understanding of the factors influencing teen belt use, but also to target efforts to increase belt use among teens and prevent needless tragedy on our nation's roadways."

The five states with the highest teenage belt use rates in fatal crashes -- California, Oregon, Maryland, Michigan, and North Carolina -- are also states that have some of the strongest primary laws in the nation. These states' observed use rates in 2000 were dramatically higher than the estimated national seat belt use rate in 2000 of 71 percent. The five states with the lowest teenage belt rates -- Kansas, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Rhode Island -- do not have primary laws and have some of the weakest secondary laws in the nation.

Given the belt use rates for 16 to 19 year-olds from 1995-2000, the study estimated that 4,305 drivers survived because they were wearing a seat belt. California has proven that 90 percent belt use is achievable. If the rest of the nation had a 90 percent belt use rate, an estimated 600 additional teenage lives could be saved each year.

The study also found a number of factors that were predictive of belt use by teenagers. For 16 to 19 year-olds, significantly lower belt use was associated with male drivers (30 percent belt use) vs. female drivers (49 percent belt use); drivers with a blood alcohol content (BAC) estimated at 0.10 or higher (18 percent) vs. zero (40 percent); drivers of pickup trucks (20 percent) vs. passenger cars (40 percent); vehicles 11 years or older (29 percent) vs. 1-5 years old (40 percent); rural roadways (35 percent) vs. urban roadways (39 percent); and crashes occurring midnight-5:59 a.m. (25 percent) vs. 6:00 a.m.-8:59 p.m. (42 percent). In addition, driver belt use declined as the number of younger passengers increased, but increased in the presence of a least one passenger 30 years or older.

The entire study is available at the National Safety Council's website, http://www.nsc.org.

The Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, a program of the National Safety Council, is a public/private partnership of automotive manufacturers, insurance companies, child safety seat manufacturers, government agencies, health professionals and child health and safety organizations. The goal of the Campaign is to increase the proper use of safety belts and child safety seats and to inform the public about how to maximize the lifesaving capabilities of air bags while minimizing the risks.