USAGE PATTERNS AND MISUSE RATES OF AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS BY SYSTEM TYPE

This study examined seat belt usage in North Carolina by drivers of 4,151 late model cars equipped with a variety of restraint system types. We measured usage by restraint type (automatic belt, air bag, manual belt), by make/model and by driver characteristics (age, sex, and race). Usage ranged from a high of 94.2% for motorized shoulder belts (but with only 28.6% lap belt usage in these cars) to 73.9% usage of manual lap/shoulder belts in cars equipped with air bags. Various types of misuse of the shoulder belt (e.g. excessive slack, detachment from the door, placement under the arm) were observed in nearly 6% of the sample.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Headington Hill Hall
  Oxford OX30BW,    
• Authors:
  • Reinfurt, D W
  • St Cyr, C L
  • Hunter, W W
• Publication Date: 1991-12

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 521-530
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 23
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air bags; Automatic seat belts; Drivers; Human characteristics; Manual safety belts; Safety equipment; Safety factors; Seat belts; Shoulder harnesses
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver characteristics
• Old TRIS Terms: Automatic restraints; Automatic safety equipment; Shoulder harness
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00618415
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-041 483
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Jan 31 1992 12:00AM