Prevalence of rear seat belt use among pregnant women in a suburban area of Japan

Data were collected from the NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System to analyze the link between primary enforcement of rear seat belt use and injury severity in fatal vehicle collisions. Specifically, this study predicted the amount of fatalities that may have been prevented had there been standard enforcement of a rear seat belt law in effect. Previous literature concludes that increasing seat belt use will decrease injury severity in collisions and the primary enforcement of seat belts laws will increase seat belt use by approximately 14%. This study recorded and compared the number of rear seat fatalities in states that did and did not have primary enforcement laws for rear seat occupants. The results indicated that, on average, for every properly restrained rear seat fatality there are 0.45 more rear seat fatalities in states without primary enforcement than states with primary enforcement. It also predicts that the states that do not practice standard seat belt enforcement could have seen approximately 772 to 1,032 fatalities prevented from 2011 to 2015, had there been primary rear seat belt enforcement. This corresponds to an estimated national crash cost savings of $8.6 billion, or $1.7 billion annually.

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Warning signs to fasten seat belts result in higher rates of rear seat belt use in rideshare vehicles

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1071181319631515 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 2046-2050

Author(s):

Kenneth Nemire

Keyword(s):

San Francisco ◽

Seat Belt ◽

Rear Seat ◽

Warning Signs ◽

Future Research ◽

Warning Sign ◽

Seat Belts ◽

Front Seat ◽

Passenger Vehicles ◽

Seat Belt Use

Using seat belts reduces traffic injuries and fatalities. Passengers in the rear seat typically use their seat belts less often than drivers or front-seat passengers. Seat belt use in the back is even less frequent in vehicles for hire such as taxi cabs and rideshare vehicles than in private passenger vehicles. This observational study of adult passengers video-recorded in rideshare vehicles in San Francisco found that a sign mounted at rear passenger seated eye level, and that warned of the risks of failing to wear a seat belt, resulted in significantly higher rates of seat belt use than for rear seat passengers not exposed to the warning sign. Results also showed that age, gender, and trip duration did not have a significant effect on rear seat belt use. Implications for future research and other countermeasures are discussed.

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Self-reported factors that influence rear seat belt use among adults

Journal of Safety Research ◽

10.1016/j.jsr.2019.04.005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 70 ◽

pp. 25-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nandi L. Taylor ◽

Melissa Daily

Keyword(s):

Seat Belt ◽

Rear Seat ◽

Seat Belt Use

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On Informing Women of Child Bearing Age about Seat Belt Risk during Pregnancy

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120204601106 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 46 (11) ◽

pp. 943-946

Author(s):

Kenya Freeman ◽

Michael S. Wogalter

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Seat Belt ◽

Seat Belts ◽

Third Trimester ◽

Severe Injuries ◽

Vehicle Accidents ◽

Child Bearing ◽

Seat Belt Use ◽

Serious Injuries

Seat belts have been effective in reducing serious injuries and deaths in vehicular accidents. However, their use by women in the third trimester of pregnancy can cause placental damage and fetal injury or death in relatively minor motor vehicle accidents without severely injuring pregnant women. The lack of seat belt use in similar or more serious accidents could cause severe injuries or death to pregnant women from impacts within the cabin or from ejection, and in turn could lead to fetal injuries or deaths. The present study sought to determine whether women between the ages of 16 and 45 (child bearing age) would like to be informed of these risks. Ninety-nine of the 101 women surveyed indicated they would like to be informed of the risks, and that they would expect to find this information in the vehicle's owners manual. in dealing with the risks, some women indicated that they would wear the seatbelts and others indicated they would not. Most respondents indicated that they would reduce the risks by reducing their use of the vehicle during pregnancy. These results have implications for risk communications.

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