A BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE APPROACH TO TRANSPORTATION SAFETY. SYMPOSIUM ON MOTOR VEHICLE INJURIES: PROCEEDINGS. DECEMBER 7, 1987, NEW YORK, NEW YORK

This paper reviews a variety of techniques that can increase the large-scale use of vehicle safety belts. Activator approaches or behavior change strategies that precede opportunities to buckle up include: reminder techniques, role modeling by television stars, educational tactics involving young school children, commitment pledgecard signing, incentives, and disincentives. Incentives and disincentives implicate contrasting consequences, i.e., rewards for buckling up versus punishers for not buckling up. Reward strategies can be direct and immediate, direct and delayed, or indirect. These three different techniques for delivering rewards have been equivalently effective at increasing safety belt use in corporate and community settings. Examples of each of these reward procedures are presented, as well a detailed behavior analysis of one particular corporate program that evaluated generalization and maintenance effects of direct and immediate rewards for safety belt use. The conclusion of the paper is that a number of strategies are cost effective for increasing safety belt use on a large scale, and no single approach is sufficient. Thus, a comprehensive nationwide application of both activators and consequences for safety belt promotion is recommended in order to support the buckle-up norm that has been established by the growing number of safety belt use mandates across the United States.

• Corporate Authors:

  New York Academy of Medicine

  Two East 103rd Street
  New York, NY  United States  10029
• Authors:
  • Geller, E S
• Publication Date: 1988-9

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 632-661
• Serial:
  • NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE, BULLETIN
  • Volume: 64
  • Issue Number: 7
  • Publisher: New York Academy of Medicine

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Conferences; Cost effectiveness; Disincentives; Education; Incentives; Manual safety belts; Utilization
• Uncontrolled Terms: Modifications; Rewards
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00616417
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 31 1991 12:00AM