Fifty-eight percent of backseat passengers over 13 years old are buckling up in accordance with a 2009 law extending Louisiana’s seat belt use requirements, according to an observational survey conducted for the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission this summer. A survey completed prior to the law taking effect showed only 27 percent of backseat passengers buckling up. Prior to the 2009 law only front-seat passengers and children were required to wear seat belts or be seated in a child safety seat. This year’s survey was the first conducted since the 2009 law took effect requiring all vehicle occupants to buckle up.
”The backseat compliance rate is good considering that we're dealing with a relatively new law that some motorists may still not fully understand,” said Lt. Col. John LeBlanc, executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. “While compliance this year is a good start, we are confident the rate will increase as the commission continues its efforts to promote seat belt safety and more people become aware of the law.”
The survey found 75.9 percent of front-seat passengers and drivers were buckled up, an increase of almost one percentage point over last year. Drivers and front-seat passengers in vans buckled up at a rate of 82 percent-the highest use for any type of vehicle included in the survey. Only 69.7 percent of pickup truck drivers and passengers were buckled up, the lowest seat belt usage rate among all vehicle types.
Seat belt use in Louisiana has traditionally lagged behind the national average. The national average seat belt use rate in 2008 was 83 percent. Louisiana has what is called a ‘primary enforcement’ law, which means that officers can stop and ticket people they observe violating the seat belt law.
The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission conducts campaigns throughout the year that focus on convincing motorists to buckle up. The 2008-10 campaigns, called ‘Click It or Ticket’, featured increased enforcement made possible through grants provided by the LHSC, advertisements, and outreach through the news media. LeBlanc credits the LHSCÕs campaigns and new laws with increasing seat belt use in Louisiana from 12 percent in 1986 to this year’s rate of 75.9 percent.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate to critical injuries by 50 percent. About 65 percent of the people killed in crashes in Louisiana in 2008 were not buckled up.
Observers at 415 locations across Louisiana conducted the LHSC’s 2010 seat belt use survey. A total of 62,058 drivers and front-seat passengers were observed at the 415 locations. The survey included backseat passengers riding in 1,491 vehicles. Observations were made on drivers and passengers in privately owned vehicles.
Seat belt use by drivers and front-seat passengers by region in the 2010 survey was as follows:
Shreveport 78.6 percent
Baton Rouge 77.6 percent
Lafayette 77 percent
Houma/Thibodaux 76.8 percent
Monroe 74.7 percent
Lake Charles 74.2 percent
New Orleans 72.6 percent
Alexandria 71.8 percent
