Discussion

There is a difference between day and night observed belt use in Connecticut. This difference is much greater in urban areas. There are likely a number of reasons why this may be the case. For instance, it is possible that the population of drivers in urban areas is different during the day versus the night. Drivers in cities during the day may live in the outlying suburbs and commute to and from the city. Connecticut suburbs are generally more affluent than Connecticut cities. By nighttime, these drivers have returned to the less urban roads. Regardless, the fact remains that belt use on Connecticut urban roadways at night is substantially lower than during the day. These observed findings are corroborated by FARS analyses.

Additionally, it appears that “daytime” enforcement of safety belt use as shown in the national Click It or Ticket campaign ads may have an impact on nighttime belt use. It should be noted however, that most, if not all, of the television commercials used by Connecticut depicted police officers at night (in an urban environment) issuing tickets for safety belt violations. It is unclear whether this advertising caused the change in belt use at night or if the daytime enforcement alone or combined with the commercials impacted nighttime belt use.

The importance of night belt use is amplified given the much higher per mile crash rate at night. It is felt that an effort to increase belt use at night, especially in urban areas, would be prudent.