An Assessment of Safety Belt Use In Alaska - 1999

Abstract

During July , August, and early September of 1999, safety restraint use by both the driver, and the outboard passenger in passenger cars and trucks was recorded and analyzed. In the sample area, covering 85 percent of the state's population, 64 percent of vehicles had either the driver or the passenger or both wearing a restraint. This compares with 63 percent in 1998. Of all the drivers and all the passengers observed, 61 percent of drivers and 60 percent of all outboard passengers were wearing seatbelts. This Drivers and outboard passengers of pickup trucks and recreational vehicles were much less likely to be wearing their seatbelts. The same techniques used for observing vehicles were used for observing motorcycles. Areawide, 51 percent of the drivers of motorcycles were wearing helmets. It is important to note that survey results pertain to the driver and outboard passenger in a probability sample of vehicles drawn from the most settled areas of Alaska. Included in this area are the Municipality of Anchorage, the MatanuskaSusitna Borough, the Juneau Borough, the Kenai Peninsula Borough, and the Fairbanks North Star Borough.