Increasing Safety Belt Use by High Risk Drivers

Blomberg, Richard D.; Bishop, Edward W.; Edwards, Joan M. · 1991 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This study, conducted by Dunlap and Associates for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), aimed to identify high-risk drivers who are non-users of safety belts and to develop targeted communication programs to increase their belt usage. The research was motivated by the observation that while mandatory belt laws increased overall usage, those who buckled up were often low-risk drivers, whereas high-risk groups—such as young males and drinkers—remained unbelted, limiting the injury-reduction potential of existing policies. The study proceeded in two phases. Phase I involved identifying target groups through a structured literature review and analysis of three data sources: the 1987 Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS), state crash data from Michigan and Ohio (1985–1987), and the 1987 Centers for Disease Control Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. These analyses consistently identified five high-risk, low-usage groups: young males (18–24), drinkers, the elderly (in states without mandatory laws), unemployed males, and smokers. Phase II selected young males as the primary target due to their high crash risk and consistent non-usage. A radio contest called "Make It Click!" was implemented in Dothan, Alabama, via station WIC-FM. Drivers were encouraged to wear belts and display contest stickers on their vehicles to enter for prizes. Evaluation of the Phase II program utilized surveys and systematic observations. Surveys indicated that the radio message reached a wide audience across all age groups. However, systematic observations revealed no statistically significant increase in safety belt use among the target demographic or the general population. Follow-up research determined that the intervention failed because the target group disliked the requirement to display vehicle stickers and viewed the contest as overly complicated relative to the modest prize value. The study concludes that while identifying high-risk groups is feasible, designing effective interventions for them is challenging. The "Make It Click!" campaign failed to change behavior despite high message exposure, highlighting the need for simpler, more appealing incentives and communication strategies tailored specifically to the preferences of high-risk drivers. The report provides recommendations for future programs, emphasizing the importance of understanding the specific barriers and motivations of these resistant populations.

Key finding

A radio-based incentive contest targeting young male drivers did not increase observed safety belt use, and follow-up analysis attributed the failure to the unpopularity of vehicle stickers and the perceived complexity of the contest rules.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• seat belt use
• public messaging
• child passenger safety
• sex gender
• induced exposure

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, crash risk outcomes