A RESEARCH STUDY ON SAFETY BELT USAGE RATE AND FACTORS AFFECTING THIS USAGE RATE

Abstract

Traffic accident causes thousands of deaths and ten thousand of injury each year in our country, Turkey. One of the simple but effective ways of reducing the number of death and injury caused by traffic accidents is increasing the use of safety belt. A great number of research studies have showed the decreasing effect of safety belt on the number of death and injury caused by traffic accidents. However, when compared with developed countries, it is known that the usage rate of safety belt is low in Turkey. Moreover, the number research studies investigating safety belt is low in Turkey, as well. This current study investigated the safety belt usage rate and the factors affecting this usage rate in different days, at different hours, on different roads at 19 phases in a city located eastern part of Turkey. During a three-month period 3268 vehicles and 5330 people in these vehicles were observed. Findings showed that the general safety belt usage rate is 13.4%. While the usage rate is 6.8% on roads in the city, it is 25.2% on roads out of the city. Police controls cause a rise on the usage rate. People in buses have the lowest usage rate. Drivers’ usage rate is higher than passengers’. Men’s usage rate is higher than women’s. People with higher level of income are more likely to wear safety belt. People having traffic accident experience are more likely to wear seat belt as well. The most important reason for people to wear safety belt is the belief that safety belt secures their life. The most important reason not to wear safety belt is the belief that there is no need to wear safety belt for short distance. These findings can help increase safety belt usage in Turkey.