ANN ARBOR—As the Michigan Legislature continues to debate the merits of enacting a tougher seat belt law, University of Michigan researchers say that the use of safety belts by motorists continues to rise—but not enough to meet national goals set for the next few years.

“Safety belt use in Michigan has increased consistently each year, with the safety belt use rate increasing by 7.2 percentage points since 1994,” says David W. Eby of the U-M Transportation Research Institute. “However, the new national goal of 85 percent belt use by the year 2000 and 90 percent belt use by 2005 is still many percentage points away for Michigan.”

In their annual study of about 11,400 drivers and front-seat passengers in Michigan’s 28 most populous counties, Eby and colleague Michelle L. Olk found that the state’s overall rate of seat belt use is at an all-time high of 69.9 percent?up from 67.6 percent in 1997?for motorists in passenger cars, sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), vans and minivans, and pickup trucks.

Specifically, safety belt use is 72.6 percent for passenger cars, 73.1 percent for SUVs and 75.7 percent for vans and minivans?the first time ever that drivers and front-seat passengers of vans and minivans are buckling up more frequently than motorists in other vehicles, the researchers say.

Once again, the rate for pickup truck drivers and passengers is the lowest among the four vehicle types, with 54.1 percent of occupants using seat belts?a slight decrease from last year, they add.

According to the study, 76 percent of women wear safety belts, compared with about 65 percent of men, although the difference in use rates between males and females has declined over the last three years.

“The decrease is primarily because female safety belt use has remained the same while male belt use has increased,” Eby says. “This suggests that statewide efforts to increase belt use for males have been effective and should be continued. However, females should not be ignored in these efforts, since their current belt use rate is still far below the national goal.”

Eby and Olk also found that despite great strides in the past few years to encourage younger drivers and passengers to buckle up, fewer 16-to-29-year-olds (63.6 percent) wear seat belts, compared with motorists of other ages (more than 70 percent).

In addition, the researchers say that drivers of vehicles are more likely to use safety belts than their front-seat passengers, and that all motorists are more likely to buckle up between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. (compared with 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and when using freeways (compared with surface streets and other roadways).

“Collectively, these findings suggest that enforcement and public information and education programs by the Michigan Department of State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning and other local programs have been effective in increasing belt use in Michigan,” Eby says. “But new efforts must be implemented to more rapidly boost the rate of safety belt use in the state.”

He says that the four-point plan outlined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to increase the use of seat belts is a good model for Michigan to follow: 1) build strong public-private partnerships to promote positive attitudes toward the use of safety belts, 2) enact strong legislation for mandatory seat belt use, 3) conduct active and highly visible enforcement of restraint use laws, and 4) increase the presence of effective public education regarding the benefits of wearing safety belts.

Data for the U-M study was collected in the fall of 1998 by observers stationed at 168 intersections and freeway exit ramps throughout the state.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration