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CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Use of Safety Belts: Primary (vs. Secondary) Enforcement Laws

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Primary safety belt laws allow police to stop motorists solely for being unbelted. Secondary safety belt laws permit police to ticket unbelted motorists only if they are stopped for other reasons such as speeding.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends primary safety belt laws based on strong evidence of their superior effectiveness over secondary enforcement laws in reducing motor vehicle-related injuries and deaths.

Results / Accomplishments

Results from the Systematic Reviews:
Thirteen studies qualified for the systematic review.

• Nine studies compared states with primary laws to those with secondary laws.
• Four studies evaluated the effect of changing from secondary to primary laws.
• Fatal injuries: median decrease of 8% in primary law states versus secondary law states (interquartile intervals: 3%-14% decrease; 5 studies)
• Observed seat belt use: median increase of 14 percentage points in primary law states versus secondary law states (interquartile intervals: 12 to 23 percentage points; 5 studies)
• Police-reported safety belt use: the effect estimate could not be calculated (1 study)
• Self-reported safety belt use: the effect estimate could not be calculated (2 studies)

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
The Community Guide
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS E69
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/
Topics
Health / Prevention & Safety
Community / Governance
Community / Transportation
Source
Community Guide Branch Epidemiology and Analysis Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Location
USA
For more details
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/motor-v...
Target Audience
Adults

Related Promising Practices

  1. Tribal Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention Programs
  2. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Use of Safety Belts: Enhanced Enforcement Programs
  3. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Use of Safety Belts: Laws Mandating Use
  4. Buckle Up, Stay Safe

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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