New York State mandatory seatbelt use law: patterns of seatbelt use before and after legislation

A mandatory seatbelt use law, the first such law in the nation, became fully in force in New York State as of 1 January, 1985. We studied seatbelt use among drivers and front seat passengers involved in motor vehicle accidents for a 3-month period pre-legislation (Phase 1), and a 5-month period post-legislation (Phase 2), to determine if this type of compulsory law, providing civil fines of $50 for violators, changes seatbelt use behavior. The reported use rate among drivers rose from 21% pre-legislation to 47% post-legislation (p less than 0.01). The use rate among front seat passengers rose from 21% to 40% (not significantly different due to the small number of occupants recorded in this position). A highway survey (Phase 3) noted the use rate in New York City and surrounding counties to be 63%, a marked increase from the published pre-legislation value of 16%. We conclude that mandatory seatbelt use legislation is effective in significantly increasing seatbelt use and urge physicians to seek similar legislation in every state.