| Title | National Understanding and Acceptance of Occupant Protection Systems |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 26742 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Loux, Suzanne B.; Hersey, James; Greenfield, Larry; Sundberg, E. |
| Source | 156p. in various pagings |
| Corporate Creator | SRA Technologies, Inc. |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| Publisher | United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| Publication Date | 19860700 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | Regulations requiring new cars to be equipped with automatic occupant protection systems unless states representing two-thirds of the population enact mandatory safety belt use regulation by 1989 necessitated a study to determine the public's knowledge and acceptance of automatic systems and their support for and compliance with mandatory use laws (MULs). A telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,213 individuals who drive or ride in cars was conducted in January-February 1986, which obtained information about three major areas: automatic safety belts, air bags, and MULs. The survey found that the public is generally unaware of automatic safety belts and had concerns about them breaking down and trapping them in an accident. A substantial minority said they would unbuckle automatic belts but a smaller number reported they would permanently disconnect them. The majority of the public preferred manual belts to automatic belts. Air bags were preferred by the majority of the public and a third were willing to pay the estimated cost of air bags. Additionally, while the public recognizes the protection afforded by air bags, they expressed concern about their reliability (e.g., inflating by mistake, not knowing if it would work). MULs were supported by the majority of the public, and people in states with MULs in effect reported significantly higher safety belt use; those in states without MULs reported they would use belts more often if a MUL were enacted. Perceived strict enforcement and the inclusion of a fine in the MUL were related to reported increased belt use in states where MULs were in effect. /Abstract from report summary page/ |
| Rosap ID | dot:1818 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1818 |
| TRT Terms | Air bags; Automatic seat belts; Costs; Data collection; Laws; Manual safety belts; Public opinion; Surveys; Utilization |
| General Subjects | Automatic restraints; Enforcement; Safety belt; Surveys (Data collection) |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
00490844 |
| Contract Number | DTNH-22-84-C-07326 |
| Report Number | DOT-HS-807-025; NTIS-PB87129961 |
| Availability | NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Research |
| Resource type | Research Paper |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/26000/26700/26742/nationalundersta00loux.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |