Safety Belt Usage: Survey of the Traffic Population

Stowell, Carol; Bryant, Joseph · 1978 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This 1978 report by Kirschner Associates, Inc., commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), assesses safety belt usage among the general traffic population in the United States. The study was motivated by the need to understand how driver behavior, vehicle characteristics, and driving environments influenced the utilization of active restraint systems, despite federal mandates requiring their installation since 1964. The research aimed to determine overall usage rates and examine variations based on car model year, manufacturer, style, driver demographics, and location. The methodology involved an observational survey conducted over eight months (August 1976 to March 1977) across sixteen metropolitan areas. Observers recorded safety belt usage as drivers stopped at traffic signals on primary roads and freeway exits. The study covered 84,682 verified observations of passenger cars manufactured between 1964 and 1977. Data were verified through state Division of Motor Vehicles records to confirm vehicle make, model year, and VIN. A supplementary study at O’Hare Airport compared usage in rental cars equipped with single versus dual retractor systems. The findings revealed an overall safety belt usage rate of 18.5% for drivers. Usage varied significantly by restraint type: lap-shoulder combination systems (22.0%) were used more frequently than lap-shoulder separate systems (15.7%) or lap-belt only systems (10.4%). Usage peaked in 1974 models, which featured starter interlocks, and declined in subsequent years as reminder systems became less intrusive. Smaller vehicles, particularly subcompacts (29.0%), exhibited higher usage rates than large luxury models (13.6%). Foreign manufacturers, notably Volvo (44.6%), had higher usage rates than American manufacturers. Regional differences showed higher usage on the West Coast (27.3%) compared to the East Coast (12.0%). Demographic analysis indicated that women (20.6%) and younger drivers used belts more often than men (17.3%) and drivers over fifty. Additionally, drivers with correctly positioned head restraints were more likely to wear belts, suggesting a correlation with safety-conscious behavior. The rental car study found no significant difference in usage between single and dual retractor systems. The study concludes that while safety belt availability is widespread, actual usage remains low and is influenced by vehicle design, regulatory features like starter interlocks, and driver demographics. The inverse relationship between car size and usage, along with regional and gender disparities, highlights the complexity of promoting restraint use. The findings suggest that passive restraint systems or more effective reminder mechanisms may be necessary to increase compliance, as active systems relying on user initiation show limited effectiveness across the general population.

Key finding

Overall safety belt usage was 18.5%, with lap-shoulder combination systems achieving 22.0% usage compared to 15.7% for separate systems and 10.4% for lap-only systems.

Methodology

naturalistic

Sample size: 84682

Provenance

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

Topics

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• seat belt use
• child passenger safety
• incidence prevalence

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