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Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes in Upstate and Long Island New York: The Impact of High Visibility Seat Belt Enforcement on Multiple Risky Driving Behaviors

Author

Listed:
  • Joyce C. Pressley

    (Departments of Epidemiology and Health Policy and Management, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA)

  • Nirajan Puri

    (Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA)

  • Tianhui He

    (Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA)

Abstract

Despite an observed daytime front-seat seat belt use that exceeds 90%, nearly half of motor vehicle occupants who die in New York State (NYS) each year are not wearing a seat belt. Crash outcomes were examined by occupant, vehicle, environmental and traffic enforcement patterns related to the annual Click It or Ticket high visibility seat belt enforcement campaign. Three periods of enforcement were examined: pre-enforcement, peri-enforcement (during/immediately after), and post-enforcement. Of the 14.4 million traffic citations, 713,990 (5.0%) were seat belt violations. Relative risk with 95% CI was assessed using deaths from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and SAS Glimmix 9.4 software. Mortality was lower peri-enforcement (32.9%) compared to pre- (40.9%) or post-enforcement (37.1%) ( p < 0.001) and tended to be elevated in low enforcement response areas (43.6%). Fatalities were 30% lower (0.7, 95% CI 0.6–0.9) during peri-enforcement in models adjusted for demographics, law coverage, enforcement response, rural, weekend, impairment, speeding, and vehicle type. Adjusted mortality was higher in rural (1.9, 1.6–2.6), alcohol-involved (1.8, 1.4–2.9), and speeding-involved (2.0, 1.7–2.5) crashes. Peri-enforcement alcohol- and speed-involved fatalities tended to be lower in restrained, unrestrained and occupants missing belt status. The finding of lower mortality in both belted and unbelted occupant’s peri-enforcement—in the context of fewer fatal speed and alcohol-involved crashes—suggests that the mechanism(s) through which high visibility seat belt enforcement lowers mortality is through impacting multiple risky driving behaviors.

Suggested Citation

  • Joyce C. Pressley & Nirajan Puri & Tianhui He, 2023. "Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes in Upstate and Long Island New York: The Impact of High Visibility Seat Belt Enforcement on Multiple Risky Driving Behaviors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:2:p:920-:d:1024952
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shin Ah Oh & Chang Liu & Joyce C. Pressley, 2017. "Fatal Pediatric Motor Vehicle Crashes on U.S. Native American Indian Lands Compared to Adjacent Non-Indian Lands: Restraint Use and Injury by Driver, Vehicle, Roadway and Crash Characteristics," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-15, October.
    2. Joyce C. Pressley & Emilia Pawlowski & Leah M. Hines & Sabana Bhatta & Michael J. Bauer, 2022. "Motor Vehicle Crash and Hospital Charges in Front- and Rear-Seated Restrained and Unrestrained Adult Motor Vehicle Occupants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-13, October.
    3. Joyce C. Pressley & Leah M. Hines & Michael J. Bauer & Shin Ah Oh & Joshua R. Kuhl & Chang Liu & Bin Cheng & Matthew F. Garnett, 2019. "Using Rural–Urban Continuum Codes (RUCCS) to Examine Alcohol-Related Motor Vehicle Crash Injury and Enforcement in New York State," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-17, April.
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