Seat Belt Use, Especially Among Low-Use Drivers, Increases as Florida Upgrades to Primary Seat Belt Enforcement

On June 30, 2009, Florida implemented a primary seat belt law. The State was already engaged in a Rural Demonstration Program (RDP) to increase belt usage in rural areas in the northern part of the State and participatedregularly in annual Click It or Ticket (CIOT) mobilizations. This study examined the changes in belt usageassociated with the primary law change and the contribution of the rural and statewide belt programs. Awarenesssurveys indicated that 94% of respondents knew of the primary law and 77% supported the law immediately afterthe law went into effect. The 2009 CIOT May Mobilization resulted in a 3-point increase in statewide usage, from77.9% to 80.9%. The new primary law provided an additional gain of 4.3 percentage points in statewide usage to85.2%. Belt use increased the most among the lowest belt use groups, including males, the African-Americanpopulation, pickup truck occupants, younger occupants, and motorists on local roads. Statewide belt usageincreased to 87.4% after the 2010 CIOT, about one full year after the primary belt law went into effect.

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• Child Passenger Safety