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Description

In April 2002, the Alaska Highway Safety Office (AHSO) contracted with the University of Alaska's Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) to conduct an observational survey of seatbelt use in Alaska. The Alaska Highway Safety Office, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, wanted to know the degree to which Alaskans comply with seatbelt laws in Alaska. This report details the results of an observational survey of vehicles in Alaska. During May, June, and July 2002, ISER researchers recorded and analyzed seat belt use by drivers and front seat passengers in both passenger cars and trucks. We sampled seat belt use in cities and towns on the road system. The sample area includes 85 percent of the state's population. In the sample area, 66 percent of drivers and 64 percent of outboard passengers were wearing seatbelts. The share of occupants wearing belts was 66 percent. This number reflects an increase of just over three percent of what we observed in the year 2001. We excluded observations from the analysis where the observer was unsure whether the occupant was wearing a seatbelt. We also compared rates of cars and trucks. Seventy percent of car drivers and 56 percent of truck drivers were using seatbelts. Sixty-six percent of car passengers and 57 percent of truck passengers were belted. The rate for occupants of cars (69%) was higher than that for occupants of trucks (56%).

Publication Date

7-17-2002

Keywords

Transportation, Highway, Safety

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/11122/14543

An Assessment of Safety Belt Use in Alaska Summer 2002

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