Selective Traffic Enforcement Program for Occupant Restraints

Increased compliance with New York's occupant restraint law was the result of two different traffic enforcement and public information and education (PI&E) programs. The police in one community conducted four PI&E campaigns highlighting increased enforcement and four intermittent selective (primary) enforcement blitzes. In a second community, four PI&E campaigns highlighting the safety benefits of restraints were conducted but increased (secondary) enforcement was integrated into normal traffic duties. A third community served as a control with no PI&E or increased enforcement of the law scheduled. An evaluation of the programs showed that the blitz strategy resulted in a 13 point increase (52% to 65%) in restraint use (all from the first blitz). The integrated strategy resulted in a 17 point increase (49% to 66%) in usage. There was no major change in usage (54% to 56%) in the control site. Four months after the formal programs ended, the blitz site usage rate had decreased (to 61%), while there was no significant decrease (to 65%) in the integrated site. Another interesting result was that even though the police in the control site issued safety belt tickets at twice the rate of the officers in the integrated strategy site, there was no change in the usage rate in the control site. The control site, however, did not have an accompanying PI&E effort. Based on these results, a successful, cost-efficient enforcement program would start with a blitz and then integrate enforcement into regular traffic duties. In addition, there must be periodic PI&E to enhance and maintain the public's perception of enforcement and the need to use safety restraints, and the enforcement officers must have a positive attitude toward the law. /Abstract from report summary page/