OBJECTIVE To increase seat belt restraint use in Guangzhou City, People's Republic of China. DESIGN Comparison group pre-test, post-test design. SETTING Guangzhou City. INTERVENTIONS Interventions to increase the prevalence of seat belt use in high-income countries (enhanced training and enforcement practices along with raising of public awareness) were adapted and implemented in Guangzho...

This study investigates the Peltzman effects in adopting mandatory seat belt laws in the US. According to the Peltzman offsetting effect theory, seat belt laws make drivers feel more secure and drive more aggressively, which could cause additional crashes and fatalities. A set of panel data containing 50 US states and the District of Columbia for the years from 1983 to 1997 are analyzed using s...

Injuries will inevitably occur when restraining loads are exerted on a car occupant by a seat belt during a crash. This study investigated the nature, frequency, and severity of such injuries to the chest and abdomen. Vehicle, occupant, and injury details were obtained from accidents occurring in the Midlands of England. The sample was chosen with emphasis on fatal and serious injuries while al...

The aim of this study was to determine the potential benefits of retrofitting a seat belt reminder device to passenger vehicles in the Australian fleet. The analysis was restricted to vehicles up to ten years of age at the time of retrofitting which were assumed to have at least a driver airbag fitted. While seat belt wearing rates have been observed at around 95% in the front seat, non–wearing...

Two hundred and forty-six patients with ocular perforation were treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, between 1 February 1981 and 31 January 1985. Road traffic accidents were responsible for 63 injuries, all of which affected front seat occupants, and 45 occurred before implementation of the seat belt law on 1 February 1983. Following legislation there was a 60% reduction in ocular i...

background and aim: more than 50% of road fatalities occur in the 15 to 44-years old which are the young and active group of the society. one of the effective ways to reduce road accidents is using safety belts. in this study the rate of seat belt use and its associated factors have been estimated in the 15 to 44-years old of kerman. materials and methods: this study was a cross-sectional descr...

Musculoskeletal pain is commonly reported by police officers. A potential cause of officer discomfort is a mismatch between vehicle seats and the method used for carrying appointments. Twenty-five police officers rated their discomfort while seated in: (1) a standard police vehicle seat, and (2) a vehicle seat custom-designed for police use. Discomfort was recorded in both seats while wearing p...

The severity of injuries sustained by 2577 car occupants in road traffic accidents in the catchment area of one district accident service during February 1982 to January 1984 inclusive was assessed using the injury severity score system. In the first 12 months the mean injury severity score for front seat occupants injured in a road traffic accident was 4.94 and in the second 12 month period, a...

P olicy measures, including legislation, are one method of promoting health. Participation in many voluntary health promoting behaviours is strongly socioeconomically patterned, and this may also apply to behaviours governed by legislation. Rear passenger seat belt use is one legally prescribed behaviour—having been made compulsory in the UK in 1991. Previous research on the socioeconomic distr...

OBJECTIVE Estimates of any protective effect of seat belts could be exaggerated if some crash survivors falsely claimed to police that they were belted in order to avoid a fine. The aim of this study was to determine whether estimates of seat belt effectiveness differed when based on belt use as recorded by the police and belt use determined by trained crash investigators. DESIGN Matched coho...