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Show Seat Belt Non-Use (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 50% of fatalities from motor vehicle accidents could be prevented if seat belts were worn. Therefore, it is encouraging to see the substantial drop in Utahns and Americans who report they only sometimes, seldom, or never use seat belts. The two most recent changes to Utah Law regarding safety belt use were made in 1986 and 1990. In 1986, a law was passed which requires all front seat passengers and the driver to wear a safety belt. In 1990, the child restraint law was amended to stipulate that all children under eight must be properly restrained in a motor vehicle. Since the passage of these laws, the data shows that there has been a decrease in non-usage of safety belts. Table 72. Seat Belt Non-Use* U.S. U.S. U.S. Year Utah Low Median High 1990 61.0 4.9 51.0 71.2 1991 58.0 4.0 41.0 72 1992 49.6 4.0 38.0 67.4 1993 50.3 3.9 34.0 61.9 1994 46.8 - 33.0 59.6 1995 44.3 4.5 32.0 56.4 1996 39.9 32.0 51.6 ?Percentage of persons who report sometimes, seldom, or never using safety belts. Table 72. Sources: 1993: Utah Department of Health, Bureau of Health Promotion/Risk Reduction, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 1994. Unpublished Report, p. 41. 1991-1992 Utah Department of Health, Bureau of Health Promotion/Risk Reduction, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 1993 Unpublished Report, p. 1,4. 1986-1990: Center for Disease Control (1991). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Behavioral Risk Factor Survey: 1986-1990 (ss-4), p. 20. Seat Belt Non-Use 80 Percentage of Respondents 60- 40- 20- 0 Utah U.S. Low U.S. Median U.S. High 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Figure 43 Utah Safety Belt Observation Study The annual Utah Safety Belt Observation Study measures usage rates based on actual observations of drivers, front seat passengers and children. The surveys are conducted at a fixed number of urban and rural locations at various times of the day, during the month of May by Utah Highway Patrol Troopers. The Department of Public Survey collects data in this manner because they have found that when people are surveyed by phone, a large number of people do not want to admit that they do not use a safety belt. For example, in 1993, phone data showed that over 83% of Utahns said they regularly used a safety belt, whereas the observations showed only 50%. The Department of Public Safety follows rigid guidelines when collecting data throughout the state in order to get a representative sample. For example, they only survey during daylight hours and only observe stopped or slow vehicles. To study the usage for highways, they observe freeway entrances and exits. Additionally, in order to collect the most correct data, they stratify urban areas according to the number of registered vehicles. 114 |
