Teens and seat belt use: What makes them click?

Abstract

Problem Motor vehicle crashes kill more adolescents in the United States than any other cause, and often the teen is not wearing a seat belt. Methods Using data from the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys from 38 states, we examined teens’ self-reported seat belt use while riding as a passenger and identified individual characteristics and environmental factors associated with always wearing a seat belt. Results Only 51% of high school students living in 38 states reported always wearing a seat belt when riding as a passenger; prevalence varied from 32% in South Dakota to 65% in Delaware. Seat belt use was 11 percentage points lower in states with secondary enforcement seat belt laws compared to states with primary enforcement laws. Racial/ethnic minorities, teens living in states with secondary enforcement seat belt laws, and those engaged in substance use were least likely to always wear their seat belts. The likelihood of always being belted declined steadily as the number of substance use behaviors increased. Discussion Seat belt use among teens in the United States remains unacceptably low. Results suggest that environmental influences can compound individual risk factors, contributing to even lower seat belt use among some subgroups. Practical applications This study provides the most comprehensive state-level estimates to date of seat belt use among U.S. teens. This information can be useful when considering policy options to increase seat belt use and for targeting injury prevention interventions to high-risk teens. States can best increase teen seat belt use by making evidence-informed decisions about state policy options and prevention strategies.

Evaluation of an in-vehicle monitoring system (IVMS) to reduce risky driving behaviors in commercial drivers: Comparison of in-cab warning lights and supervisory coaching with videos of driving behavior

“…Because driving unbelted in the absence of other risky driving behaviors was not considered to be a severe driving behavior (less than severity 3), it was examined in this study as a separate outcome. Prior research has shown that primary seat belt laws (where violators can be stopped and cited independently of any other traffic behavior) can impact belt-wearing of drivers in both occupational and general driving in states that have such laws (Beck & West, 2010; Boal, Li, & Rodriguez-Acosta, 2016; Lee et al, 2015; Shults, Haegerich, Bhat, & Zhang, 2016). In this study, both the intervention group and the control group involved sites in states both with and without a primary belt law, as defined by CDC (2015).…”

For whom didn’t it click? A study of the non-use of seat belts in motor vehicle fatalities in New Zealand

“…This raises questions about underlying socioeconomic and colonialisation issues. Indeed, the association between lower seat belt-wearing rates and people from disadvantaged ethnic backgrounds has been described for Indigenous Australians (Raftery & Wundersitz, 2011) and in the USA for people from African American and Hispanic backgrounds (Shin et al, 1999;Shults et al, 2016).…”

“…This research furthered the understanding of seat belt nonuse crashes in the New Zealand context by identifying how patterns of factors were associated with different crash types and the formation of the five profiles. Whilst some authors have previously identified the 'young and risky' category (Begg & Langley, 2000;Shults et al, 2016), other seat belt non-use profiles have not previously been described.…”

“…Whilst there is some understanding of 'why' people do not wear seat belts, mostly this information is understood as individual variables only. For example: there is a link between seat belt enforcement laws and wearing rates (Shults et al, 2016;Bhat et al, 2012); for some people, the discomfort of wearing, or the difficulty of fastening a seat belt may result in non-use particularly by those aged over 75 years, people who are obese, and people who experience arthritis (Fong et al, 2016;Begg & Langley, 2012). Finally, the influence and attitudes of other people in the vehicle and a person's perceptions of the riskiness of a journey can affect the 'decision policy' to wear or not to wear a seat belt .…”

The Teen Driver

“…42 However, in 2011, only 54% of US high school students reported always wearing a seat belt, and seat belt use varied by state from 32% to 65%. 43…”