From May, 1977 to May, 1978, the Transportation Centre, University of Saskatchewan conducted four surveys to determine seatbelt usage rates in Saskatchewan. The surveys were conducted prior to and after, the passage of a law on July 1, 1977, requiring seatbelt use by front seat occupants of motor vehicles.
The surveys were conducted at sampling stations on urban streets, provincial highways and municipal roads. The results of the May, 1978 survey were analyzed to determine what relationships exist between usage rates and various vehicle characteristics. Usage rates when examined using cross-tabulations appeared higher for certain types of vehicles: compact or sub-compact vehicles, foreign models, etc.
However, when the data was analyzed using multiple regression techniques, only the year of vehicle manufacture showed a consistently high level of significance.