Occupant Protection |
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Restraint Use In 2006, NHTSA conducted the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS). The overall observed shoulder belt use rate was 82 percent in 2005, compared to 80 percent observed in 2004, 79 percent in 2003, 75 percent in 2002, 73 percent in 2001, 71 percent in 2000, and 67 percent in 1999. In 1994, the overall observed shoulder belt use rate was 58 percent. Table 1 shows safety belt use rates in the States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The results were obtained by observing traffic on roads at selected observation sites. Where rates are missing from the table, States did not submit rates to NHTSA. For more information on State safety belt use rates, see D. Glassbrenner, Safety Belt Use in 2005 – Use Rates in the States and Territories, NHTSA Research Note , DOT HS 809 970 (March 2006). Table 1
Occupant Fatalities by Age and Restraint Use In 2005, 31,415 occupants of passenger vehicles (passenger cars, light trucks, vans, and SUVs) were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, 72 percent of the 43,443 traffic fatalities reported for the year.
Of the 31,415 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities in 2005, restraint use was unknown for 2,229 (7%). Of the 29,186 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities for which restraint use was known, 16,172 (55%) were unrestrained. Of the 4,722 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities 25 to 34 years old for which restraint was known, 3,135 (66%) were unrestrained -- the highest percentage of any age group. Of the 3,363 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities among 21- to 24-year-olds for which restraint use was known, 2,199 (65%) were unrestrained, which was the second highest percentage for any age group. In 2005 there were a total of 361 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities among children under age 4. Of the 344 fatalities in this age group for which restraint use was known, 110 (32%) were unrestrained. Of the 304 fatalities among children 4 to 7 years old for which restraint use was known, 136 (45%) were unrestrained. Table 2
Driver and Occupant Fatalities by Vehicle Type and Restraint Use A total of 21,946 passenger vehicle drivers were killed in traffic crashes in 2005. Among the 20,450 passenger vehicle driver fatalities for which restraint use was known, 68 percent (2,952) of the drivers of pickup trucks killed were unrestrained, compared to 62 percent (1,857) for SUVs, 49 percent (528) for vans, and 48 percent (5,789) for passenger cars. A total of 9,469 occupants of passenger vehicles were killed in traffic crashes in 2005. Among the 8,736 passenger vehicle fatalities for which restraint use was known, 71 percent (944) of the passengers in pickup trucks were unrestrained, compared to 65 percent (1,001) for SUVs, 60 percent (502) for vans, and 51 percent (2,578) for passenger cars. Table 3
Safety Belt Use and Benefits
Research has found that lap/shoulder safety belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. For light truck occupants, safety belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent. Ejection from the vehicle is one of the most injurious events that can happen to a person in a crash. In fatal crashes in 2005, 75 percent of passenger vehicle occupants who were totally ejected from the vehicle were killed. Safety belts are effective in preventing total ejections: only 1 percent of the occupants reported to have been using restraints were total ejected, compared with 30 percent of the unrestrained occupants Lives Saved by Safety Belts Among passenger vehicle occupants over age 4, safety belts saved an estimated 15,632 lives in 2005. If all passenger vehicle occupants over age 4 had worn safety belts, 20,960 lives (that is, an additional 5,328) In 2002, NHTSA refined its method of estimating lives saved by safety belts and air bags. The new method, including an explanation of the changes made, will be published in an upcoming NHTSA Technical Report. Figure 1
Child Restraint Use and Benefits Research on the effectiveness of child safety seats has found them to reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1-4 years old) in passenger cars. For infants and toddlers in light trucks, the corresponding reductions are 58 percent and 59 percent, respectively.
Figure 2
Lives Saved by Child Safety Seats
Among children under age 5, an estimated 420 lives were saved in 2005 by child restraint use. Of these 420 lives saved, 382 were associated with the use of child safety seats and 38 with the use of adult safety belts. At 100-percent child safety seat use for children under 5, an estimated 518 lives (that is, an additional 98) could have been saved in 2005. Over the period 1975 through 2005, an estimated 7, 896 lives were saved by child restraints (child safety seats or adults safety belts). Air Bag Use and Benefits Air bags, combined with lap/shoulder safety belts, offer the most effective safety protection available today for passenger vehicle occupants. Recent NHTSA analyses indicate a fatality-reducing effectiveness for air bags of 14 percent when no safety belt was used and 11 percent when a safety belt was used in conjunction with air bags. It is estimated that, as of 2005, more than 160 million air-bag-equipped passenger vehicles were on the road, including 146 million with dual air bags. Air bags are supplemental protection and are not designed to deploy in all crashes. Most are designed to inflate in a moderate-to-severe frontal crash. Some crashes at lower speeds may result in injuries, but generally not the serious injuries that air bags are designed to prevent. For this and other reasons, lap/shoulder belts should always be used, even in vehicles with air bags. Children in rear-facing child safety seats should not be placed in the front seat of vehicles equipped with passenger-side air bags. The impact of a deploying air bag striking a rear-facing child safety seat could result in injury to the child. Lives Saved by Air Bags
In 2005, an estimated 2,741 lives were saved by air bags. From 1987 to 2005, a total of 19,659 lives were saved. Table 4
Table 5 - Passenger Vehicle Occupants Killed by State and Restraint Use, 2005 Restraint Use Laws The U.S. Department of Transportation’s July 1984 rulemaking on automatic occupant protection began a wave of legislative action that resulted in the enactment of safety belt use laws in many States. The goal of those laws is to promote belt use and thereby reduce deaths and injuries in motor vehicle crashes. The first mandatory belt use law was enacted in the State of New York in 1984. Adult belt use laws are in effect in 49 States and the District of Columbia. The laws differ from State to State, according to the type and age of the vehicle, occupant seating position, etc. In 24 of the States with belt use laws, the law specifies secondary enforcement. That is, police officers are permitted to write a citation only after a vehicle is stopped for some other traffic infraction. Twenty-five States and the District of Columbia had laws that allowed primary enforcement, enabling officers to stop vehicles and write citations whenever they observe violations of the belt law. A 1995 NHTSA study, Safety Belt Use Laws: An Evaluation of Primary Enforcement and Other Provisions, indicates that States with primary enforcement safety belt laws achieved significantly higher belt use than did those with secondary enforcement laws. The analysis suggests that belt use among fatally injured occupants was at least 15 percent higher in States with primary enforcement laws. The first mandatory child restraint use law was implemented in the State of Tennessee in 1978. Since 1985, all 50 States and the District of Columbia have had child restraint use laws in effect. These laws also cover various segments of the population.
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