INSURANCE SPECIAL REPORT: INSURANCE INJURY LOSS EXPERIENCE IN EIGHT STATES WITH SEAT BELT LAWS, 1983-86 MODELS
This Highway Loss Data Institute report provides insurance injury loss experience in eight states with seat belt laws. These eight states are Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. The frequency of injury claims by occupants of relatively new cars (1983-86 model years) before and after each of the eight states enacted mandatory seat belt laws are presented. Although there is evidence from several studies that state seat belt laws have reduced the frequency of serious and fatal injuries by about 5-10 percent, the present study found no clear cut evidence of comparable reductions in personal injury protection coverage claims in the model cars studied. Principal findings are as follows: Post-law injury claim frequencies were generally lower than pre-law results in Michigan, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Post-law injury claim frequencies were either comparable to, or greater than, pre-law injury claim frequencies in New York, Texas, Florida, Kansas, and Maryland. In Michigan, claim frequencies were lower for the two 12-month post-law periods regardless of the size of the injury claim. Post-law frequencies in Connecticut were lower for all injury claims and for those exceeding $250 and $500. New Jersey frequencies were slightly lower during the first 12-month post-law period for all injury claims and those above $250. Based on reported observations of changes in belt use, the post-law injury claim frequency reductions in Michigan were larger than expected from the seat belt use law alone, which strongly suggests that other factors are influencing the results. The percentage of collision coverage claims also having an injury claim was generally lower in the post-law period in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Connecticut. In Texas, this percentage increased during the post-law period.
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Corporate Authors:
1005 North Glebe Road
Arlington, VA United States 22201 - Publication Date: 1988-7
Media Info
- Features: Appendices; Tables;
- Pagination: 47 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Automobile insurance; Before and after studies; Electromagnetic frequencies; Fatalities; Injuries; Insurance claims; Laws; Loss and damage claims; Losses; Manual safety belts; Utilization
- Geographic Terms: Connecticut; Florida; Kansas; Maryland; Michigan; New Jersey; New York (State); Texas
- Old TRIS Terms: Personal injury protection coverage
- Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I81: Accident Statistics;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00490081
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Report/Paper Numbers: HLDI A-28, HS-040 523
- Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
- Created Date: Dec 31 1989 12:00AM