Citation

Wells JK, Williams AF. J. Saf. Res. 1993; 24(2): 73-76.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Concerns have been raised that occupants of vehicles equipped with both air bags and seat belts would be less likely to use the manual lap/shoulder belt than occupants of cars equipped only with such belts. An earlier survey, based primarily on 1986-1989 model-year cars with air bags, indicated that seat-belt-use rates were about the same in cars with and without air bags. Drivers of 1986-1992 model cars with air bags were observed in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC during the Summer of 1991. The survey data indicate that seat belt use among occupants of late-model cars with air bags (primarily 1990 and 1991 models) is very high and about the same as among drivers of late-model cars with manual belts only, despite the increasing diversity of cars with air bags.