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Non Use of Seat Belts Makes Car Crashes Number One Killer of Latino Males ages One to Forty-Four

WASHINGTON--March 31, 2004--

  AAA to Work for Passage of Primary Seat Belt Laws in All States and Promote Seat Belt Use as Part of World Health Day  



Based on a new AAA study, the nation's largest organization for motorists today called for more research into the use of seat belts by Latino immigrants to address the "alarming public health epidemic" of highway deaths among Latinos in the United States.

Citing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AAA says motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in the United States for Latino males age one to 44, and Latino children five to 12 are 72 percent more likely to die in a traffic crash than non-Latino whites of the same age. They are the fastest growing group of Americans with Mexican immigrants representing two-thirds of all Latinos.

AAA today released the findings of new qualitative research examining seat belt use among Mexican-born drivers. The AAA study, entitled "Seat Belt Usage Among Mexican-Born Immigrants in the U.S.," is first of its kind research and its findings are based on in-depth focus group interviews on seat belt use with a representative sample of 40 Mexican-born immigrants. The research, conducted by a leading bilingual and bicultural scientist, provides valuable information about important issues and themes associated with seat belt use among this population.

"The results of this research are very encouraging but indicate there is much we don't know about seat belt use by Latino immigrants. This research is the first step toward having a meaningful impact on the number of Latino highway deaths each year," said Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, AAA Director of Traffic Safety Policy and co-author of the study.

Among its findings, the AAA study revealed a lack of consistent seat belt use by Mexican immigrants despite a strong belief in the importance of seat belts. Findings also suggest the most effective way to reach this population with safety messages is through "regular people" rather than celebrities. News stories and state driver's licensing manuals also have a broad reach among this population. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is currently funding a study to evaluate how best to reach the Latino population with safety messages.

The study also found a strong relationship between the percentage of a person's lifetime spent in the United States and seat belt use. According to the research, this plays an even bigger role in seat belt use than does level of education.

And, as in numerous other studies of drivers throughout the United States, the interviews found that primary seat belt laws encourage the use of seat belts by immigrants.

"We know that primary seat belt laws are effective everywhere they are implemented," said Dinh-Zarr. "And it appears from this preliminary research that these laws are effective among Mexican immigrants, as well."

The motor club said it is releasing the seat belt study and calling for more research leading up to World Health Day because AAA wants to remind motorists no matter where they live or where they come from the single most important thing they can do for their health is to buckle up.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen the theme of Road Safety for its upcoming commemoration of World Health Day on April 7. This is the first time in its history the WHO has identified the problem of motor vehicle crashes as a significant public health issue.

Motor vehicle crashes are one of the top causes of death in both the United States and throughout the world, according to most recent CDC and WHO data. In 2002 crashes killed an estimated 43,000 people in the U.S. and 1.18 million people worldwide.

Last month in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, AAA president and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet said greater collaboration between highway safety advocates, such as AAA, and public health officials in this country and abroad would be necessary to address this public health crisis.

"We must work closely with them to develop new and better ways to address the epidemic loss of life on our highways," Darbelnet said.

In an effort to reduce the loss of life on the nation's roadways, AAA today also announced it will lobby state legislatures to pass primary seat belt laws and will work in conjunction with its 76 clubs in North America to encourage motorists to use their seat belts. Despite the findings of this and previous studies that show primary seat belt laws can reduce motor vehicle deaths by 8 percent compared to secondary laws, only 20 states and the District of Columbia currently have primary seat belt laws, which allow a police officer to stop a motorist solely for not buckling up.