Health Indicator Report of Seat Belts: Safety Restraint Use

In 2021 the observed seat belt usage was ''88.2%''' overall for all 17 counties. This is a slight decrease from 2019 (90.2%)

Notes

Beginning in 2012, the Utah Highway Safety Office began to observe front seat passengers of 17 counties whereas in earlier years observations were conducted in only the six most populous counties.

Data Source

Utah Safety Belt Observational Survey, Utah Highway Safety Office

Data Interpretation Issues

Based on national criteria, 17 counties were selected for the 2021 Utah Safety Belt Observational Survey, a practice that began in 2012 (Utah Safety Belt Observational Survey, August 2013 Report). Previously, only the 6 most populous counties were included.

Definition

Adult and Front Seat Passenger Safety Belt Use (observational study): Percentage of '''drivers and front seat passengers observed using safety restraints''' in Utah. The survey uses data collected by Utah Highway Patrol Officers at intersections, highway ramps, and parking lots. Seat Belt Use (BRFSS): Number of persons who reported wearing a seat belt always or nearly always Adolescent Seat Belt Use: Students who never or rarely never wore a seat belt

Numerator

Adult/Front Seat Passenger Use (observational study): Number of drivers and front seat passengers observed using safety restraints. Seat Belt Use (BRFSS): Number of persons who reported wearing a seat belt always or nearly always Adolescent Seat Belt Use: Number of students who never or rarely never wore a seat belt

Denominator

Adult/Front Seat Passenger: Number of persons observed Seat Belt Use (BRFSS/YRBS): Number of persons surveyed

Healthy People Objective IVP-15:

Increase use of safety belts
U.S. Target: 92.0 percent
State Target: 92.4 percent

Other Objectives

'''Other Healthy People 2020 objectives:'''[[br]] IVP-16: Increase age-appropriate vehicle restraint system use in children[[br]] *16.1: Aged 0 to 12 months **U.S. Baseline: 86% of children aged 0 to 12 months were restrained in rear-facing child safety seats in 2008 **'''U.S. Target:''' 95% (10% improvement) **Utah Baseline: Ages 0-4: 93.1% child restraint usage (2008 Utah Safety Belt Observational Survey) **'''Utah Target:''' Ages 0-4: 98% child restraint usage (5% improvement - highest was in 2001 at 97.1%)[[br]] [[br]] *16.2: Aged 1 to 3 years **U.S. Baseline: 72% of children aged 1 to 3 years were restrained in front-facing child safety seats in 2008 **'''U.S. Target:''' 79% (10% improvement) **Utah Baseline: Ages 0-4: 93.1% child restraint usage (2008 Utah Safety Belt Observational Survey) **'''Utah Target:''' Ages 0-4: 98% child restraint usage (5% improvement - highest was in 2001 at 97.1%)[[br]] [[br]] *16.3: Aged 4 to 7 years **U.S. Baseline: 43% of children aged 4 to 7 years were restrained in booster seats in 2008 **'''U.S. Target:''' 47% (10% improvement) **Utah Baseline: Ages 5-8: 45.7% booster seat usage in motor vehicle crashes (2008 Utah Crash Summary Report) **'''Utah Target:''' Ages 5-8: 50.2% child restraint usage (10% improvement)

How Are We Doing?

In 2021, the observed seat belt usage was 88.2% overall for the 17 counties included in the study. In 2019, (no survey conducted in 2020) observed seat belt usage rate was 90.2%. In 2021 the 'urban' counties of Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, Washington, and Weber were analyzed separately from the 'rural' counties. The seat belt usage rate for the urban counties was 89.1% and 85.3% for the rural counties. ++The Utah Crash Summary published by the Department of Public Safety reports percentages of children using child safety seats in crashes. The child safety seat usage during 2015-2019 by age was: 1-year-olds 85.3%, 2-year-olds 79.2%, 3-year-olds 75.8%, 4-year-olds 67.9%, 5-year-olds 58.8%, 6-year-olds 44.1%, 7-year-olds 28.6%, and 8-year-olds 14.0%. Of concern is the drastically lower percentage of child safety seat usage among older ages, indicating children are moved to adult-sized seat belts prematurely.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

In 2018, the Utah death rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 0.81 which was lower than the U.S. rate of 1.13. [National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2020, July) State traffic data: 2018 data (Traffic Safety Facts. Report No. DOT HS 812948). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.]

What Is Being Done?

The Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) provides funding to the 13 local health departments in Utah to implement motor vehicle safety programs and Safe Kids coalitions/chapters activities. These programs focus on child passenger safety and teen driving. The VIPP partners with the Utah Teen Driving Safety Task Force, Zero Fatalities Program, and Utah Highway Safety Office, among other state and local agencies to prevent motor vehicle crash deaths. For the past eight years, a book has been published that tells the stories of teens who died in motor vehicle-related crashes. The book is distributed to each drivers education instructor in the state as a prevention tool. The books can be downloaded at [http://www.health.utah.gov/vipp/teens/teen-driving] or [http://zerofatalitiesut.com/dont-drive-stupid/]. The Utah Department of Transportation Zero Fatalities Program ([http://ut.zerofatalities.com/]) is an educational campaign aimed at reducing some of the top causes of traffic related deaths in Utah: not buckling up, drowsy driving, impaired driving, distracted driving, and aggressive driving. Utah's seat belt law is a '''primary enforcement law'''. Primary seat belt laws allow law enforcement officers to ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt without any other traffic offense taking place. All vehicle occupants must wear seat belts and children ages 8 and younger must be properly restrained in a car seat or booster seat.

Available Services

Violence and Injury Prevention Program, Utah Department of Health[[br]] 801-538-6141[[br]] [http://health.utah.gov/vipp] Safe Kids Utah[[br]] Service provided: child safety seat inspection, booster seat inspection[[br]] 801-538-6852[[br]] [https://health.utah.gov/vipp/kids/safe-kids-utah/] Zero Fatalities Program[[br]] [http://ut.zerofatalities.com/] Utah Highway Safety Office[[br]] 801-293-2480[[br]] [http://highwaysafety.utah.gov/] Utah Safety Council[[br]] Service provided: defensive driving course[[br]] 801-262-5400[[br]] [http://www.utahsafetycouncil.org] Call 1-888-DASH-2-DOT or visit [http://cert.safekids.org/] to locate the certified child passenger safety technician nearest you. [[br]] [[br]] [[br]] '''NATIONAL WEB SITES:''' Governors Highway Safety Association[[br]] [http://www.ghsa.org/] National Center for Injury Prevention and Control[[br]] [http://www.cdc.gov/injury/index.html] National Highway Transportation Safety Administration[[br]] [http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/] Safe Kids USA[[br]] [https://www.safekids.org/] Children's Safety Network[[br]] [http://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission[[br]] [http://www.cpsc.gov/]

Health Program Information

The Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) mission is to be "a trusted and comprehensive resource for data and technical assistance related to violence and injury. With this information, we help promote partnerships and programs to prevent injuries and improve public health."