PATTERNS OF SAFETY BELT USE AMONG DRIVERS KILLED IN FATAL CRASHES IN VIRGINIA
Safety belt usage or nonusage was noted for drivers fatally injured in motor vehicle accidents in Virginia during fiscal year 1974. Data were obtained from FR300 accident report forms and available corresponding medical examiner's reports, and only those drivers in whose motor vehicles safety belts had been installed and whose deaths could be directly attributed to the motor vehicle accident were included in the study. Of the 274 fatalities that were included, 34 (12.4%) were designated as users of safety belts at the time of the accident, and the remaining 240 (87.6%) were classified as nonusers. Although a somewhat greater percentage of Virginia drivers who were users of safety belts were represented among those fatally injured during FY 1974 (12.4%) than during FY 1973 (8.2%), the difference was not statistically significant. When accident related and demographic variables were examined, significant differences between users and nonusers were found for such variables as driver's sex, vehicle age, time of day, day of the week, road condition, driver actions, and whether the driver had been drinking. It was found, for example, that a greater proportion of males not using safety blets were killed than males using safety belts, and that a greater percentage of nonusers were violating a traffic law at the time of the accident. It was also found that more nonusers than users were drinking at the time of the accident. Thus, it was concluded that safety belt users were underrepresented among Virginia fatalities, and that safety belt utilization was one of the safeguards against fatal injuries among Virginia drivers during fiscal year 1974. /Author/
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- Record URL:
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Corporate Authors:
Virginia Highway and Transportation Research Council
Charlottesville, VA United States -
Authors:
- Mitchell, D
- Publication Date: 1976-3
Media Info
- Features: References; Tables;
- Pagination: 12 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Age; Crash reports; Crashes; Drivers; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Fatalities; Gender; Manual safety belts
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00144234
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
- Report/Paper Numbers: Rpt. No. VHTRC 76-R43
- Files: NTL, TRIS, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Mar 15 1977 12:00AM