Seat Belts: Effcetiveness of Mandatory Use Requirements

The measured impact of mandatory seat belt usage regulations on automobile safety and accident severity appears to be substantially less than anticipated. A review of accident data collected by a number of countries, before and after implementation of a mandatory use law, indicates that mandatory seat belt usage made a measurable impact on safety only after the passenger belt usage rate rose above 60%. Data from these countries also indicate that user compliance above 60% is attainable only with rigorous usage enforcement programs.