Jordan Bailey
Each year, approximately 35,000 people die in motor vehicle accidents. About fifty percent of these people could be saved simply by wearing seat belts. Additionally, over 90% of drivers report feeling that seat belts are necessary and beneficial, but in practice, only 14% actually use seat belts (“James Madison University”). When safety belts are properly used, they save thousands of lives, yet many neglect to spend the few seconds it takes to fasten a seat belt. Luigi Pasto and Andrew G. Baker host an intervention to modify the behavior of seatbelt use among college students, as younger drivers are both less likely to wear their seat belts and more likely to be involved in motor vehicle accidents than their older counterparts. According to Pasto and Baker, results feedback and informational flyers given to the public during a five-day intervention increases seat belt use among young adults.
Drivers and front seat passengers in a particular parking lot on Montreal’s Vanier College campus were observed for four weeks. 2,285 total cars were observed; resulting in 2,285 drivers and 660 front seat passengers. For the first week, an observer monitored the uninterrupted behavior of the subjects with a video recorder from inside an attendant booth at the entrance of the parking lot. The observer recorded the subjects’ gender, approximate age, and whether or not they were wearing a seat belt. Cars were observed Monday through Friday during the hours of 3:30pm and 5:30pm, the time of day with the greatest traffic flow. The intervention took place during the second week of the experiment. Subjects were observed in the same manner during the same time period, but during this week experimenters attempted to modify the behavior of the subjects in two ways. First, a large poster was placed approximately 6 meters away from the attendance booth, where drivers must stop before entering the parking lot, displaying the percentage of people who wore their seat belt driving into the parking lot the previous day. The sign read “DRIVERS WEARING SEAT BELTS YESTERDAY, XX%,” and the percentage was changed daily to reflect the data from the previous day. Second, an informational flyer was placed on the windshield of every car in the parking lot on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the intervention week. The flyer had four components. The first area stated in bold lettering, “SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES. BUCKLE UP PLEASE.” The second component of the flyer gave statistics on fatalities and injuries due to car accidents in Quebec, followed by a statement on the effectiveness of seat belts. The third section presented the message, “Whether or not you wear a seat belt may be your own business, but tell that to the family and friends of someone who has been injured in a car accident.” The final component of the flyer informed drivers that their seat belt usage was being monitored and explained the feedback sign. On the last day of the intervention phase, the distributed flyer contained the results of the experiment. During the final two weeks of the experiment, the feedback sign and flyers were removed and observers monitored the behavior of the drivers and front seat passengers.
At the conclusion of the experiment, Pasto and Baker observed a general increase in seat belt usage from both drivers and front seat passengers. For drivers, seat belt usage increased by 7%, from 64% at the baseline to 71% during the intervention. Seat belt usage increased by a whopping 18% for front seat passengers, from 49% at the baseline to 67% during the intervention. Both drivers and front seat passengers experienced a subtle decrease in seat belt usage after the intervention. For drivers, seat belt usage dropped to 68% and for passengers it dropped to 61%. However, in both cases, seat belt usage remained higher after the intervention than it was at the baseline. Additionally, more female drivers and front seat passengers were proven to wear seat belts than males. 75% of female drivers wear seat belts, whereas only 63% of male drivers do. Comparably, 66% of female passengers wear seat belts and only 52% of male passengers do.
Works Cited:
"Safety Belt Statistics." James Madison University. James Madison University, 21 oct 2004. Web. 23 Mar 2012. <http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/safetybelt.shtml>.
Pasto, Luigi, and Andrew G. Baker. "Evaluation of a Brief Intervention for Increasing Seat Belt Use on a College Campus." Sage Journals. 25.3 (2011): n. page. Web. 23 Mar. 2012.
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