Increasing seatbelt usage rate among high school students.
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)
Summary
This report addresses the persistent problem of inconsistent seatbelt use among high school students in Rhode Island, particularly focusing on demographic disparities such as gender and vehicle type. Despite overall increases in seatbelt compliance nationwide, rates remain low among youths and are significantly lower in fatal accidents, especially for young males. The study was motivated by findings that Rhode Island’s seatbelt usage lagged behind the national average and that previous interventions had not fully closed the compliance gap, particularly for males and passengers in pickup trucks. The project aimed to develop innovative, targeted interventions based on Prochaska’s Transtheoretical Model of Change (Stages of Change) and peer influence to encourage consistent seatbelt use. The methodology involved school-based assessments and interventions at three Rhode Island high schools: Narragansett, North Kingstown, and South Kingstown. The research team collaborated with school staff, including nurses, athletic directors, and media teachers, to implement "bottom-up" strategies driven by student involvement. Key interventions included high-visibility visual surveys conducted by students, peer-led campaigns, and student-generated videos broadcast on school networks. The study utilized observational data collected during the 2008–2009 school year and compared these results with baseline data from 2004–2005. Additionally, the researchers analyzed Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data to understand risk factors and compliance patterns among fatal crash victims. The findings indicated a 5–10% increase in seatbelt compliance following the interventions. At North Kingstown High School, overall compliance rose from 80% to 87% for drivers and 89% for passengers. However, a significant gender gap persisted; female compliance reached 97%, while male compliance remained in the high 70s. Narragansett High School also showed improvements, though a 12-point gender difference remained in the most recent observations. Notably, compliance was lowest among passengers in pickup trucks, with rates as low as 50% for passengers and 63% overall. Analysis of FARS data confirmed that male fatalities had drastically lower seatbelt usage rates compared to females, with only 13.3% of male fatalities in Rhode Island wearing seatbelts in 2007, compared to 62.5% of females. The significance of this study lies in its demonstration that student-led, peer-influenced interventions can effectively increase seatbelt compliance, particularly among females. However, the persistence of the gender gap suggests that males require more targeted strategies, potentially addressing their resistance to persuasion and higher risk-taking behaviors. The report concludes that sustainable, long-term programs must integrate traffic safety into existing school structures, such as health classes and senior projects, and shift toward multi-risk interventions that address related behaviors like speeding and distracted driving. The findings underscore the need for continued focus on male students and after-school behaviors, which correlate with higher risk periods.
Key finding
Student-based interventions increased overall seatbelt compliance by 5-10 percent, but the gains were driven almost entirely by female students while male compliance remained persistently low.
Methodology
field_study
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).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 24 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.
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).
- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence