Highlights This study innovatively used quasi-induced exposure methods with novel community-level indicators of vulnerability to estimate the prevalence of New Jersey drivers being unbelted during vehicle trips. Overall, this study found driver’s seat belt non-use to be 1.2% between 2010–2017, which is lower than the previously estimated rate of 8.3% over similar years. Seat belt non-use was 122% more prevalent in communities with the largest percentage of the population living with three or more indicators of vulnerability than communities with the smallest percentage of the population living with three or more indicators of vulnerability.

    Abstract Introduction: Examining crash reports with linked community-level indicators may optimize efforts aimed at improving traffic safety behaviors, like seat belt use. To examine this, quasi-induced exposure (QIE) methods and linked data were used to (a) estimate trip-level seat belt non-use of New Jersey (NJ) drivers and (b) determine the degree to which seat belt non-use is associated with community-level indicators of vulnerability. Method: Driver-specific characteristics were identified from crash reports (age, sex, number of passengers, vehicle type) and licensing data (license status at the time of the crash). Geocoded residential addresses were leveraged within the NJ Safety and Health Outcomes warehouse to create quintiles of community-level vulnerability. QIE methods were applied to estimate trip-level prevalence of seat belt non-use in non-responsible, crash-involved drivers between 2010–2017 (n = 986,837). Generalized linear mixed models were then conducted to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios and 95 % confidence intervals for being unbelted for driver-specific variables and community-level indicators of vulnerability. Results: Drivers were unbelted during 1.2 % of trips. Males, those with suspended licenses, and those without passengers had higher rates of being unbelted than their counterparts. An increase was observed in traveling unbelted with increasing quintiles of vulnerability, such that drivers in the most vulnerable communities were 121 % more likely to be unbelted than those in the least vulnerable communities. Conclusions: Prevalence of driver seat belt non-use may be lower than previously estimated. Additionally, communities with the highest amount of the population living with three or more indicators of vulnerability have higher rates of seat belt non-use; this may be a particularly useful metric to inform future translational efforts improving seat belt use. Practical Applications: As evidenced by the findings that risk of being unbelted increased as drivers’ community vulnerability increased, novel communication efforts tailored to drivers from vulnerable neighborhoods may optimize efforts.


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    Title :

    Variation in drivers’ seat belt use by indicators of community-level vulnerability



    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2023-01-27


    Size :

    7 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




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