Encouraging full-time use of safety belts among current part-time users

142 Pages·1991·6.6 MB·English

by  Finn, Peter, 1940-

TL
USDepartment
ofTransportation
NationalHighway
TrafficSafety
Administration
DOT HS 807 700 January 1991
Final Report
-rUi{i mOM
Encouraging Full-Time l P J7 1f9e9r2n f
Among
Use of Safety Belts
Current Part-Time Users
This document is available to the public from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161.
The United States Government does not endorse products or
manufactures. Trade or manufacturer’s names appear only
because they are considered essential to the object of this report.
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S°t°> /
Technical Report Documentation Page
1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.
DOT HS 807 700
4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date
Encouraging Full-Time Use of Safety Belts January, 1991
Among Current Part-Time Users.- 6. Performing Organization Code
8. Performing Organization Report No.
7. Authors} _
Peter, Finn, and Valerie Leiter
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9. Performing Organization Name and Address np. 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
Abt Associates Inc.
55 Wheeler Street -rORTA 11. Contract or Grant No.
Cambridge, MA 02138 DTNH22-89-C-07021
tdb)y 13. Type of Report and Period Covered
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Final Report
U.S. Department of Transportation 4/7/89 - 1/31/91
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Office of Driver and Pedestrian Research 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
Washington, D.C. 20590 NHTSA/NRD-4
15. Supplementary Notes
Dr. Jesse Blatt, Chief, Driver & Passenger Systems Research Division
of NHTSA's Office of Driver & Pedestrian Research, and Dr. Maria
Vegega, were the Government Technical Monitors for this contract.
16. Abstract
A large percentageofdrivers report usingtheir seatbeltsonly some ofthe time. Mostpart-time users reportthey buckle
uponlyforhighwaydrivingbecausetheybelievethatdrivingaroundtheircommunitydoesnotexposethemtoasignificantriskofcrash
orpersonalinjury. Ifthesedriverslearnedaboutthetrue hazardsofdrivingonlocalroadsand,asa result, becamesomewhatanxious
abouttheserisks, itmightbepossibleto motivate themtoadopttheeasysolutiontoreducetheiruneasiness: bucklingup allthetime.
In recognition of this thinking, a study was conducted to determine whether safety belt messages highlighting the risks of local
automobiletravel canmotivatepart-time seatbeltusersto buckleup more often.
The primaryexperimental interventionwas a speciallydesignedbrochureintended to (1) makethe part-time seatbelt user
feel somewhatnervousaboutnotbucklingupall thetime and(2) providea meansofreducinghisorheranxiety: alwaysbuckingup.
The brochure was mailed to residents of three apartment complexes. Another apartment complex received an existing brochure
developed for non-users. Residents oftwo ofthe apartment complexeswere invited to participate in a cash prize drawing ifthey
correctlyansweredsixquestionsbasedoninformationprovidedinthebrochure. Driverswereobservedexitingtheapartmentcomplexes
beforethebrochurewasmailed, two weeksafterthe mailing, and tenweeksafterthe mailing.
A statistically significantincrease in belt usagewas found duringthe second round ofobservationsamongthose residents
who received the specially developed brochure, but the gain did not persist over time. No difference in belt use occurred among
residentswho receivedtheexistingbrochure. The quizhad noeffectonseat belt behavioratanytime in the study.
The study indicatedthat a brochuretargeted topart-timeseatbelt usersthat focusesonraisingandthen reducinglow-level
anxietyaboutriding unbuckledcanincreasebeltuse modestlyamongthegeneraldrivingpopulation. Thismodesteffectsuggeststhat
theanxietyraisingand reducingstrategyhassomepotentialto motivate increasedseatbelt use. Furtheruseofthebrochureshouldbe
contingenton identifyingand implementingcost-effective strategiesto (1) increasethe numberofdrivers who read the brochure and
(2) maintain increased usage over time among these initially motivated drivers. However, the most effective means of using the
brochurewouldbeto incorporateit intoa community-basedseatbeltcampaignthatreliesona varietyofmutuallyreinforcingstrategies
designedto raise and then reduce low-level anxietyaboutridingunbuckled.
An appendixto thereportprovidesguidelines forgroupsandorganizationsto implementa seatbelt campaignoftheirown
usingthe brochure.
17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement
safety belts Document is available to the U.S.
seat belts public through the National
part-time Technical Information Service
(NTIS Springfield, Virginia 22161;
) ,
19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21• No. of Pages 22. Price
unclassified unclassified x+64+apps J1
Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
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Table of Contents
Page
vii
Preface
Executive Summary ix
INTRODUCTION
1 1
Rationale for the Study 1
The Importance of Focusing on Part-Time Seat Belt Users 2
Why Part-Time Users Do Not Buckle Up All the Time 3
Approaches to Increasing Belt Use Among Part-Time Users 5
Literature Review 6
Study Overview and Limitations 12
2 TEST DESIGN AND PROCEDURES 17
Test Materials 17
Brochure 17
Quiz and Cash Prize Drawing 20
Supplemental Materials 25
.
Site Selection 33
Test Jurisdiction 33
Apartment Complexes 34
Sponsor 35
Experimental Procedures 38
Sequence of Interventions 38
Observation Procedures 40
Follow-up Focus Group 41
ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
3 45
Summary 45
Sample Size 45
Major Findings 47
i i i
Table of Contents
(continued)
Page
Analytical Approach 47
Dependent Variable 47
Independent Variables 47
Additional Design Variables 49
Tests of Significance 50
Modeling 50
Limitations 51
Results 52
Changes in Belt Use 52
Influence of Independent Variables 52
4 DISCUSSION 57
Implications for Replicating This Program 57
Promoting Readership 58
Sustaining Increased Use 59
Recommendations for Further Research 60
Refining the Strategy 60
Improving the Brochure 61
REFERENCES
63
Appendix A Literature Review Abstracts A-l
Appendix B Process Used for Selecting Test Materials (Interventions) B-l
Appendix C Pre-Test Focus Group Moderator’s Guide C-l
Appendix D Results of Pre-Test Focus Groups D-l
Appendix E Results of Post-Test Focus Group E-l
Appendix F Guidelines for Future Use of Seat Belt Brochure F-l
iv
Table of Contents
(continued)
LIST OF FIGURES
Page
Figure Proportion of Household Vehicle Occupants Who Always
1:
Wear Seat Belts under Various Conditions 4
Figure 2: Test Design 14
Figure 3: Themes and Messages Proposed to Address Part-Time
Belt Users’ Misconceptions about Safety Belt Use 18
Figure 4: Brochure Designed for Part-Time Seat Belt Users 21
Figure 5: Existing Brochure Developed for Non-Users 23
Figure 6: Quiz and Cash Prize Drawing Instructions 26
Figure 7: Cover Letter: Quiz Brochure/Cash Prize 28
Figure 8: Cover Letter: With Quiz Brochure/No Cash Prize 29
Figure 9: Cover Letter: Without Quiz Brochure/Cash Prize 30
Figure 10: First Reminder Postcards 31
Figure Second Reminder Postcards 32
1 1:
Figure 12: Characteristics of Apartment Complexes 36
Figure 13: Sequence and Dates of Experimental Procedures 39
Figure 14: Observation Checklist 42
Figure 15: Instructions for Completing Observation Checklist 43
Figure 16: Percentage of Drivers Wearing Belts 53
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Effects of Campaign Events as Reported by Respondents 9
Table 2: Effects of Campaign Events for Those Respondents Who
Wore Their Seat Belts More during the Campaign 10
Table 3: Number of Seat Belt Observations by Site and Round 46
Table 4: Quiz Results 48
Table 5: Results of the Logistic Regression of the Probability
of Wearing a Seat Belt on the Interventions and
Driver Gender 54
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PREFACE
This report is organized into four chapters. Chapter 1 provides the rationale for the
study. The test design and procedures are described in Chapter 2. The study results are
presented in Chapter 3. The concluding chapter offers an explanation of the findings, suggests
their policy implications, and provides recommendations for further research. Appendix A
presents abstracts ofpertinent documents identified in a literature review. The process used for
selecting the interventions is described in Appendix B.
Appendix C reproduces the group moderator’s guide used to conduct the post-test
focus group. Appendix D presents the results of a post-intervention focus group. Guidelines
for mounting additional seat belt campaigns using the brochure developed for this study are
provided in Appendix E.
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Several colleagues at Abt Associates made important contributions to the study
described in this report. Dr. Jan Chaiken reviewed the project design documents and draft
reports, providing valuable guidance on several occasions. Donna DeMarco skillfully conducted
the focus groups. Stacey Macek recruited the apartment complex managers with determination
and tact. Chris Smith provided able assistance with the literature review and data analysis plan.
John Straubinger and Roger Goulet carefully prepared the data for analysis. Mary-Ellen Perry
and Winn Sinclair prepared the manuscript with care and good humor.
Jan Merkel designed the illustrations for the brochure. Mary Ann Pacocha, Director
of Focus Group Operations for the Hartford Research Center, handled the recruitment and
supervision for the focus groups and observations. Kathleen Ryan, Executive Director of the
Connecticut Traumatic Brain Injury Association, agreed to sponsor the campaign and
collaborated generously in arranging the mailouts and prize drawing. Dr. Barry W.E. Bragg,
Director of Program Evaluation for the Department of Public Works of Canada, provided
assistance at several points during the project. The property managers of the four apartment
complexes graciously permitted us to use their locations to conduct the study; for their
cooperation, we thank April Foulks Rivera and Jeffrey Gurney of Arbor on the Farmington;
Deborah Robinson of Clemens Place; Michelle St. Hilaire of East Hartford Estates; and Judy
Olson of Squire Village.
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