COMPULSORY WEARING OF SEAT BELTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: INTERIM EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS

In the temporary absence of detailed accident data which would permit allowances to be made for the influence of fuel conservation measures and of the reduction of the road network and vehicle base due to homelands becoming independent, a conservative interim estimate of seat belt effectiveness was undertaken. Car occupant casualties were set against light commercial vehicle (LCV) occupant in equal periods before and after the effective date of the compulsory seat belt wearing law. As LCVs began to share in compulsory seat belt fitment and were preferentially eliminated from the vehicle population in the after period the results underestimate the effect of the law. Thus no significant change in deaths could be shown; but other casualties were about 20 per cent lower than expected, indicating annual accident cost savings of at least 6.9 million R (6.3 million U.S. dollars).

• Corporate Authors:

  National Institute for Transport & Rd Res S Af

  P.O. Box 395
  Pretoria 0001, Transvaal,   South Africa 
• Authors:
  • FERNIE, B E
• Publication Date: 1980-9

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 26 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Before and after studies; Commercial vehicles; Evaluation; Fatalities; Laws; Light trucks; Manual safety belts; Measures of effectiveness; Traffic crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00366854
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: RY/4/80 Tech Rpt., HS-033 806
• Files: HSL, TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 30 1983 12:00AM