Michigan Occupant Protection Use

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Introduction

Despite the fact that research had shown the utility of safety belts and that they safety belts have been available in automobiles since the 1950s, belt use in the United States was only about 11 percent in 1979. In the last 20 years, however, safety belt use has increased dramatically due to laws requiring use, public education campaigns, and changing public attitudes toward safety.

Michigan's history of safety belt use has followed national trends, as measured by the more than 25 statewide surveys conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) since 1984. As shown in Figure 1, safety belt use in Michigan was quite low prior to requiring safety belt use by law in July 1985. The first peak in Figure 1 shows how safety belt use increased to greater than 60 percent during the first month of the law. Use then dropped down to a level that was still significantly higher than prior to the law.

During the 1990s, public education and information campaigns that included targetted enforcement of the safety belt law gradually increased safety belt use to about 70 percent. The second peak in safety belt use shows the effect of changing our safety belt use laws from secondary to standard enforcement in March 2000. Under secondary enforcement, a police offer can cite a driver for lack of safety belt use only if he or she has been pulled over for some other offense. With standard enforcement in Michigan, a police officer can now pull over and cite a driver soley for a violation of Michigan's mandatory safety belt use law. As can be seen in Figure 1, by changing how we enforce our law, Michigan now enjoys belt use rates of greater than 80 percent.

Figure 1: Michigan Restraint Use from 1984 to 2000

Eby, D.W., Fordyce, T.A., & Vivoda, J.M. (2000). Michigan Safety Belt Use Immediately Following Implementation of Standard Enforcement. Report No. UMTRI-2000-25. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Other surveys of safety belt and child safety seat use in Michigan that I have conducted can be found here:

Eby, D.W., Vivoda, J.M., & Fordyce, T.A. (1999). Direct Observation of Safety Belt Use in Michigan: Fall 1999. Report No. UMTRI-99-33. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Eby, D.W., Kostyniuk, L.P., & Vivoda, J.M. (1999). An Analysis of Restraint Use by Children in Michigan. Report No. UMTRI-99-24. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Eby, D.W., Kostyniuk, L.P., & Christoff, C. (1997). Use and Misuse of Child Restraint Devices in Michigan. Report No. UMTRI-97-36. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Here are some other studies that may be of interest:

Eby, D.W., Molnar, L.J., & Olk, M.L. (2000). Trends in driver and front-right passenger safety belt use in Michigan: 1984 to 1998. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 32, 837-843.

Eby, D.W. & Kostyniuk, L.P. (1999). A statewide analysis of child safety seat use and misuse in Michigan. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 31, 555-566.

Eby, D.W. & Olk, M.L. (1998). Patterns of Michigan safety belt use. UMTRI Research Review, 29(2), 1-13.

Eby, D.W., Kostyniuk, L.P., & Christoff, C. (1998). Patterns of child-safety-seat use and misuse in Michigan. UMTRI Research Review, 28(2), 1-12.

Eby, D.W., Streff, F.M., & Christoff, C. (1996). A comparison of two direct-observation methods for measuring daytime safety belt use. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 28, 403-407.

Kostyniuk, L.P., Eby, D.W., & Streff, F.M. (1996). Michigan traffic safety attitudes and opinions. UMTRI Research Review, 27(2), 1-14.