The Canadian Approach to the Seat Belt Problem

Five projects converging on the Canadian seat belt problem are discussed. It is pointed out that preliminary surveys provided background on Canadians' attitudes towards seat belts and knowledge of their safety properties. On this basis educational TV, radio, and newspaper materials were exposed on a nationwide basis in a dual wave campaign. The project package is described as including also statistical estimates of seat belt effectiveness for various levels of use, and a legislation survey, results of which indicated that most Canadians favour mandatory seat belt use.