Acculturation, Income, Education, Safety Belt Use, and Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes in California

This article reports on a study that investigated the role that acculturation, income, and education play in safety belt nonuse among drivers in California involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). The authors stochastically incorporated measures of acculturation, income, and education into the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Using the 1990 California Tobacco Survey and U.S. Census data, the authors estimated the combination of zip-code-based measures that most accurately predicts an individual, language-based acculturation index for Hispanics and Asians. The authors found that acculturation has a positive direct effect on safety belt use among Hispanics. However, they also found an indirect negative effect of acculturation on safety belt use through drinking and driving; i.e., drinking and driving reduces the likelihood of the driver wearing a safety belt at the time of the crash. The authors conclude that prevention programs aim at increasing the safety of Hispanic drivers need to be comprehensive in their messages, simultaneously targeting both seat belt nonuse and drinking-and-driving problems.

• Availability:
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• Authors:
  • Romano, Eduardo
  • Tippetts, Scott
  • Blackman, Kenneth
  • Voas, Robert B
• Publication Date: 2005-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 139-148
• Serial:
  • Prevention Science
  • Volume: 6
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Society of Prevention Science
  • ISSN: 1389-4986

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crashes; Culture (Social sciences); Drunk driving; Fatalities; Hispanics; Prevention; Safety education; Seat belts; Socioeconomic factors
• Identifier Terms: Fatality Analysis Reporting System
• Uncontrolled Terms: Acculturation
• Geographic Terms: California
• Subject Areas: Economics; Education and Training; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Society; I10: Economics and Administration; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01003912
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 23 2005 7:09AM