A SUMMARY OF THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT PROBLEM AS RELATED TO A SAFETY BELT SOLUTION

Road-related trauma is the fourth most important public health problem in the U.S. across all age groups, resulting in about 50,000 fatalities and more than 4.5 million injuries. In 1981 road trauma cost more than $20 billion. This section describes the direct costs and "hidden" cost of road-related trauma. It concludes that the figures are staggering, considering that the safety belt, the most effective device against serious and fatal injuries is so widely available, yet is routinely used by only 14 percent of the adult motoring population. Methods to increase occupant restraint use are described.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Published in "The Safety Belt Proponent's Guide."
• Corporate Authors:

  Highway Users Federation for Safety and Mobility

  1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20036

  Automotive Safety Foundation

  1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20036

  Royal Dutch Touring Club ANWB

  Wassenaarseweg 220, P.O. Box 93200
  The Hague,   Netherlands 
• Authors:
  • Petrucelli, E
• Publication Date: 1984

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 1-24
• Serial:
  • Publication of: Highway Users Federation for Safety and Mobility
  • Publisher: Highway Users Federation for Safety and Mobility

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Direct costs; Fatalities; Indirect costs; Injuries; Manual safety belts; Restraint systems; Traffic crashes; Utilization
• Old TRIS Terms: Occupant restraint
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00393834
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-037 682
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 31 1985 12:00AM