Does driver seatbelt use increase usage among front seat passengers? An exploratory analysis

Observational data collected during the Wisconsin 2017, 2018, and 2019 National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) were analyzed for this study to explore the influence of drivers' seatbelt use on front seat passengers' usage in the same vehicle. The analyses include comparing seatbelt usage rates for drivers and front passenger(s) based on their gender and based on geographical area as well as analyses of the aggregated data.

The descriptive analyses strongly suggest that seatbelt usage rates of passengers differ considerably depending on whether the driver uses the seatbelt. When female drivers wear seatbelts, seatbelt usage rates for female front seat passengers for the three years 2017, 2018, and 2019 are 97.8%, 96.3%, and 97.1% respectively, with corresponding usage rates for male passengers being 95.5%, 93.0%, and 96.0% respectively. When male drivers wear seatbelts, the seatbelt usage rates for male front seat passengers for the three years 2017, 2018, and 2019, are 93.4%, 95.5%, and 94.3%, respectively, with the corresponding usage rates for female passengers being 97.7%, 96.0%, and 97.7%, respectively. The evidence suggests that drivers' use of seatbelts significantly improves the seatbelt usage of front seat passengers. Seatbelt usage rates of male passengers as well as female passengers are higher while traveling with female drivers who use seatbelts than while traveling with male drivers who use seatbelts. Conclusions and Practical Applications: Future seatbelt use campaigns should target males.