IV. Discussion

This is the first time safety belt use has been systematically measured across a representative sample of Indian reservations. The procedure is well documented, and it can be replicated in the future to provide a moving picture of safety belt use in Indian Country. It will be a useful tool when combined with safety belt initiatives.

Safety belt use in Indian Country varies greatly from tribal reservation to tribal reservation. Figures from individual tribal reservations must be taken as only indications of their true rates, because the sampling plan was designed to provide a reliable estimate of belt use across all of Indian Country, not on individual tribal reservations. However, the recorded figures ranged from less than 10 percent to almost 85 percent, a difference so large as to make it unmistakable that different tribal reservations are fundamentally different in their approach to and success at encouraging safety belt use.

The tribal reservations with the highest belt use rates had rates comparable to general U.S. belt use rates (both the national rate, derived from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey and individual State rates), so it is quite possible for the Native American governments to achieve high levels of encouraging belt use. Figures for other tribal reservations suggest that their governments have done little or nothing toward achieving high belt use.

One of the indicators of high belt use is the presence of a primary safety belt law. Reservations with primary laws had higher belt use than tribal reservations with secondary laws, and their belt use was higher than tribal reservations with no belt laws. The belt laws of the States in which the tribal reservations were located were also highly correlated with reservation belt use – and with reservation belt laws. Belt use laws don’t exist unless there is a will within the community, and stronger belt use laws have regularly been followed with increased belt use. Adding primary belt laws in tribal reservations lacking them could “kick-start” improvements in belt use.

There are differences in belt use by vehicle type and occupant gender, similar to findings in State belt use surveys. Occupants of pickup trucks use safety belts less often than occupants of other vehicles, and males buckle up less than females. Also, passengers tend to buckle up less than drivers. As has been noted in other reports, male pickup drivers and passengers would be the target group in need of the greatest improvement. They also seem to be the group most resistant to previous efforts, so they present the greatest challenge to new efforts – efforts that, even though primarily targeting males in pickups, may increase belt use in all groups.

NHTSA is funding two initiatives to raise the belt use on tribal reservations. First, a law enforcement liaison has been hired by the BIA’s Indian Highway Safety Program to promote Tribal law enforcement support for occupant protection laws and increasing enforcement efforts in conjunction with NHTSA’s Click It Or Ticket mobilizations and on-going traffic safety enforcement efforts. Second, the BIA will conduct a demonstration project to develop, test, and evaluate program strategies that can be used in grant solicitations to fund occupant protection projects in Indian Country. This model program will identify the best mix of activities that have the greatest potential to work in tribal communities to increase safety belt use.

It is unfortunate the Navajo did not grant permission to observe on their reservation. Representing about 16 percent of the population of qualifying Indian Country reservations, and 40 percent of the intended sample population, the Navajo reservation would have been an important addition to this measurement effort. It is hoped they can be added to any subsequent Indian Country belt use measurements.