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Journal Article

Citation

Ferguson SA, Wells JK, Williams AF, Feldman AF. J. Saf. Res. 1999; 30(2): 87-91.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In spite of mandatory seat belt use laws in most states, belt use in the United States is much lower than in other countries. Among taxicab drivers, who often are exempt from belt laws, use rates typically are lower than in the general population. Recently, the District of Columbia (D.C.) strengthened its primary seat belt law such that a driver not in compliance can be assessed a $50.00 fine and two penalty points on the driving record. This new law, which does apply to cab drivers, provided an opportunity to study the effects of a strong law among a population of drivers who could be adversely affected by the accumulation of license points on their driving records. Cab driver belt use was observed in the District of Columbia, as well as in Maryland and Virginia where cab drivers are not required to use belts. Belt use was much higher among D.C. cab drivers in the District than among drivers licensed in Maryland and Virginia. The overall use rate was 74% for D.C. cab drivers in the District, compared with 38% for Virginia cab drivers, and 20% for Maryland cab drivers in their own jurisdictions. Belt use among D.C. cab drivers also was higher in Maryland and Virginia than among drivers licensed in those jurisdictions. More research is needed to generalize these results to a wider population, but the findings suggest that fear of losing a driver's license may provide a strong incentive to use seat belts.

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