FARS Analyses

Method

FARS provides a comprehensive census of fatal crashes occurring in the United States. Belt use is coded for fatally injured vehicle occupants. FARS data was examined nationally for the combined years 2002 and 2003. Only passenger vehicles were included in the analyses. Analyses describing safety belt use included only drivers and passengers who were coded as being seated in the driver’s seat, right-side-outboard passenger seat, or front seat “unknown.” Unknown front seat was included to avoid excluding more serious crashes that may have resulted in ejections and/or severe damage to the front seat, making accurate identification of exact seat position difficult.

Daytime was defined based on the hours used in Connecticut’s statewide safety belt survey. Specifically, daytime was defined as 7 a.m. until 5:59 p.m. Similarly, nighttime was defined as 9 p.m. until 3:59 a.m., as these were the hours used for the present nighttime observation survey. These hours were used for “nighttime” because 9 p.m. is generally dark for all months of the year and, given that bars in Connecticut close at 2 a.m., “nighttime” activities are generally ended after the 3 a.m. hour and “daytime” activities are about to begin at the 4 a.m. hour.

Results

FARS showed that belt use among fatally injured front-seat occupants of passenger vehicles declines steadily from its 10 a.m. daytime peak until 2 a.m., when belt use reaches 27 percent—the lowest point (see Figure 1). There is a steady increase in the percent belted up until the 10 a.m. hour, when safety belt use among the fatally injured peaks at 58 percent. There was a dip in belt use around noon.

Overall, belt use during the daytime hours was 53 percent among those who were killed. Occupants who died at night buckled up significantly less often (31 percent; χ² = 1952.35, p < .001).

In 2003, according to FARS, 30 percent of fatal crashes involving passenger vehicles occurred between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3:59 a.m. Based on Hallenbeck et al. (1997), passenger vehicles traveling during nighttime hours represent only about 12 to 15 percent of the daily traffic. For Connecticut specifically, 39 percent of Connecticut’s 2003 fatal crashes involving passenger vehicles occurred during these night hours. Yet, only about 10 percent of all driving in Connecticut is done during nighttime hours (data from Connecticut DOT).

Figure 1. Percent Belted (Fatally Injured) by Hour of the Day (FARS 2002-2003)

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