Successes in Other Countries
Many other countries
have seat belt use rates significantly higher than the United States. For example, use
rates in Canada, Australia and several Western European countries exceed 90 percent, while
use rates in Great Britain exceed 80 percent.
Seat belt use laws in these
countries typically allow standard enforcement and cover occupants of light trucks and
vans in addition to automobiles.
Fines for noncompliance are
generally higher than in the United States, and some jurisdictions assess demerit points
against driver licenses for seat belt violations.
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Getting to Very High Use Rates: California
On January 1, 1993, California became the first
state to upgrade its seat belt use law from secondary to standard enforcement. All other
elements in California’s law were basically unchanged since the law was first
implemented in 1986. After adoption of the law, statewide belt use went up significantly,
from 70 percent in 1992 to 82 percent in 1993 to 88 percent in 1997. Usage in California
is now over 90 percent. Increased public awareness and enforcement of the new law were key
components which lead to increases in usage.
Increases
in a Previously Low-Use State: Louisiana
On September 1, 1995, Louisiana became the second
state to upgrade from secondary
to standard enforcement. Actual enforcement of the
law began two months later on
November 1, 1995. Louisiana had very low seat belt
use rates prior to the change in the law, but as in California, the increases after the
law change were dramatic:
Statewide, the seat belt use rate increased from 50
percent in the year prior to the change to standard enforcement (1994), to 59 percent in
the year of the change (1995), to 68 percent in the year following the change
(1996)—a statewide increase of 18 percentage points.
The use rate for child restraints increased from 45
percent in 1994, before the standard seat belt use law was enacted, to 82 percent in 1997.
This was without any change to the state’s child passenger safety law.
Effective
Enforcement Helps Maintain Success: Georgia
On July 1, 1996, Georgia became
the third state to upgrade from secondary to standard enforcement. This followed a
two-year decline in belt use, from 57 to 51 percent. In the first four months of the new
law, seat belt use rose 11 percentage points to 62 percent and to 68 percent in the year
following the change (1997)—a statewide increase of 17 percentage points.
A high-visibility enforcement campaign called
Operation Strap ‘N Snap helped raise usage rates in the state to their 1998 levels,
estimated to be over 75 percent.
Standard Enforcement Breaks Through Use Rate Plateau: Maryland
On October 1, 1997, Maryland
became the fourth state to upgrade from secondary to standard enforcement. In the three
years prior to upgrading to standard enforcement (1994 through 1996), Maryland’s
statewide seat belt usage rate had reached a plateau of 70 percent. Early reports for 1998
suggest that Maryland’s seat belt use rate has increased to 83 percent. This is a 13
percent point increase in slightly over one year.
Standard
Enforcement Combined With Penalty Points: District of Columbia
On October 1, 1997, the District
of Columbia, in addition to upgrading from secondary to primary enforcement, became the
first jurisdiction to assess penalty points for seat belt violations. This combination has
proven to be even more successful. Early reports for 1998 suggest that seat belt use has
increased from 58 percent before the upgrade (1996) to 82 percent. This is a 24 percentage
point increase.
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