Washington State Seat Belt Use Rate - Highest on the Planet Earth

SEATTLE, Oct. 7, 2003 -- Washington State's seat belt use rate, which was the highest ever reported in the United States, is now among the highest in the world, according to a study just released from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

"The primary seat belt law and the Click it or Ticket Project will have saved over 120 lives by the end of this year which is really quite remarkable," said John Moffat, Washington Traffic Safety Commission director.

The number of lives saved by the seat belt enforcement efforts comes from a comparison of the vehicle occupant deaths to a number which represents the average death count for the previous six years.

The seat belt research, which shows that 95 percent of Washington motorists buckle up, is conducted by a specially trained group of researchers who use protocols established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The seat belt use survey has been conducted almost every year since the law went into effect in 1986.

The only place where there is a similar seat belt use rate is Australia, where the use rate is also 95%. Seat belt use in Washington was at 37% when the first survey was conducted in 1986.

"The survey methodology follows strict protocols and includes survey audits and trained surveyors who have been doing this for years," said Commission Research Director, Philip Salzberg, Ph.D.

Since it began in May, 2002, the Commission estimates that the Click it or Ticket Project has saved 82 lives as of July. Salzberg estimates that the life count -- as opposed to the death count -- will be at 121 by year's end.

Vehicle occupant deaths are just one aspect of the overall traffic death toll that includes motorcycle, pedestrian and bicycle deaths which are not changed by improvements in seat belt use.

In Washington, in 2002, there were 659 traffic deaths, an increase of 10 over the 2001 death toll and an increase of 20 over the previous three-year average.

The Click it or Ticket Project began in May of 2002. It includes publicity to warn people that increased enforcement of seat belt use will take place, followed by enforcement. Grants to law enforcement agencies pay for over-time funding for added patrols that search for unbuckled motorists.

While the number of seat belt tickets issued each month in Washington is usually around 3800 to 4800, monthly ticket counts increased from 9000 to 16,000 during seat belt enforcement periods.

The seat belt survey information was collected in August and September and tabulated in late September after several counties were surveyed a second time to ensure that the numbers were accurate.

The survey is designed to provide a statistical estimate of the overall statewide belt use rate. The roadways selected are a probability sample of all road segments in the state. All 39 counties were eligible for selection in the sample; 19 counties were selected, ten counties from Eastern Washington and nine from Western Washington. The three most populous counties from each half of the state were selected.

There were 402 roadway sites in the sample. All seven days of the week were sampled. Four different types of vehicles were observed: passenger cars (including station wagons), pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, and passenger vans. Seat belt use was observed and tallied separately for drivers and front seat passengers. Trained observers collected the data. A survey coordinator monitored their activity.

Surveyors were looking for shoulder belt use of drivers and right-front seat passengers. Observation of lap belts or other seat positions was not possible because the vehicles being surveyed were traveling at speeds of up to 70 mph. If a driver had a shoulder belt behind his back, it was counted as non-use. The survey coordinator re-sampled some sites to verify the original findings.

There were 95,096 vehicle occupants observed. The survey showed seat belt use at 94.75 percent. It has a margin of error of plus or minus .92%. Last year's survey showed the use rate at 93 percent. Prior to the Click it or Ticket Project, seat belt use was at 81 percent and had been close to that for six years in a row.

The Click it or Ticket Project model was developed in North Carolina and is used in many parts of the United States, although it has been much more successful in Washington than anywhere else. "I think that people in this and other Western States are fundamentally safety and health conscious," Moffat said. Seat belt use rates are higher in the Western United States than other parts of the country. The national seat belt use rate is 79 percent.

Studies have shown a clear link between failure to wear seat belts and higher insurance and medical costs, paid for either with tax or insurance funds. "Some people believe that wearing a seat belt should be an individual's choice, but as a society we can't afford it," Moffat said.

"Tax payers and insurance rate payers pay the cost of the law enforcement, EMTs, and fire fighters who respond to the collision, the hospital and nursing home personnel who care for the injured, and the welfare costs when the injured require long-term medical care and are unable to work. There are societal costs all over this issue," Moffat said.

Seat belt law challenge

Over the summer months, the seat belt law was successfully challenged in some lower courts for being difficult for the average person to understand. The cases are currently under appeal. The constitutionality question involves language in the law that refers to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to explain which vehicles come standard equipped with seat belts. In antique vehicles where seat belts were not standard equipment, seat belts are not required or, in some cases, only lap belts are required.

"It's the seat belt law, which has been on the books since 1986, that is being challenged, not the fact that it is a primary law," said Moffat.

Since the seat belt law was changed in 2002, officers have been pulling people over for not wearing seat belts and the seat belt stops have resulted in arrests for felonies such as drug and weapons possession. Some of the felons face lengthy jail sentences, so they have a big interest in challenging the reason why they were stopped: seat belts.

"If you ask me, the seat belt law is easy to understand. Here is the law: click it or ticket," Moffat said.