Citation

Kalsher MJ, Geller ES, Clarke SW, Lehman GR. J. Saf. Res. 1989; 20(3): 103-113.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Media campaigns employing incentives or disincentives to promote safety belt use were studied by applying an ABA reversal design at two large naval bases with safety belt use mandates in effect. The base police delivered each type of intervention by issuing warning tickets for the disincentive program or by entering the license plate numbers of vehicles with drivers buckled up in a prize drawing for the incentive program. At one navy base (with a daily entrance/exit traffic volume of approximately 75,000 vehicles), the use of safety belts increased from a baseline of 51% (33,173 observations) to 61% (28,517 observations) during the 4-week incentive program. At the other base (with a daily entrance/exit traffic volume of approximately 46,000 vehicles), the baseline belt use of 55% (17,221 observations) increased to 79% (18,305 observations) during the 3-week disincentive phase. The greater impact of the disincentive program was due almost entirely to a dramatic increase in belt use when vehicles entered the gates guarded by Marines. The impacts of the interventions were equivalent with regard to belt use: (a) on the base, (b) when vehicles exited the base, and (c) during postintervention follow-up phases. Males and females increased their safety belt use equivalently during the incentive and disincentive phases; but when the campaigns ended, females showed significantly more response maintenance than males. Cost-effectiveness comparisons are discussed, as well as specific needs for follow-up investigation.