SEAT BELTS PAY OFF: THE EVALUATION OF A COMMUNITY-WIDE INCENTIVE PROGRAM

This research explores the effectiveness of a seat-belt incentive program in an entire community. The project was conducted during 1983 in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, North Carolina, a community with a population of 50,000. The campaign, entitled "Seat Belts Pay Off," comprised several steps: (a) planning and developing support, (b) developing data collection and other evaluative procedures, (c) implementing a public education/involvement campaign, and (d) giving modest economic incentives to belted occupants of vehicles passing checkpoints over a 6-month period. Belt use matching the highest level recorded in a U.S. community was achieved. Incentives, generally ranging in value from $3 to $5, were donated by many community businesses. The prizes, which included meals, containers of soft drinks, $5 cash coupons, T-shirts, and gift certificates, were given out for 6 months (April 19 to October 17, 1983). Additionally, six monthly $500 drawings were held, along with a $1,000 grand prize drawing. Eligible participants were those who had been stopped and rewarded for wearing their seat belt(s) and who then mailed in a preaddressed, postage-paid entry card. The drawings were conducted to stimulate public interest at selected intervals in the campaign. The effectiveness of the effort was measured by monitoring driver shoulder-belt use in passenger cars equipped with shoulder belts before, during, and after the education and incentive phases. A systematic, stratified sample was used to obtain weekly belt use data from 7 of 17 permanent data collection stations located around the community. Results indicate that driver overall belt use increased from 24% in the baseline phase to a peak value of 41% in the last week of the incentive phase. During the initial 6 months of the follow-up phase, weekly belt use held consistently around 36%. Over the next year, use rates increased slightly, although a small scale 2-month follow-up intervention introduced in the fall of 1984 had little, if any, impact.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1800052
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Maxwell House, Fairview Park
  Elmsford, NY  United States  10523
• Authors:
  • Hunter, W W
  • Campbell, B J
  • Stewart, J R
• Publication Date: 1986

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 23-31
• Serial:
  • Journal of Safety Research
  • Volume: 17
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0022-4375
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00224375

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Before and after studies; Incentives; Manual safety belts; Measures of effectiveness; Utilization
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness; Programs
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00491877
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-040 199
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 31 1990 12:00AM