Do reminder signs promote use of safety belts?

Study objective: To determine whether reminder signs placed at the exits to parking decks increase the rate of safety belt use. Methods: The subjects in this study were drivers of automobiles with permit s to park in campus decks at a major university. Volunteer observers were p ositioned near the exits of 5 parking decks around the campus. Rates of saf ety belt use were noted before and at 2 intervals after reminder signs were installed. Results: A total of 6,780 observations were collected. The baseline rate of safety belt use was 83%. Female drivers were significantly more likely to wear a safety belt than male drivers (85.3% versus 79.6%, P<.001). Safety b ell use did not increase after the signs were installed (83.3% before versu s 83.5% after, P=.86). Conclusion: Placing reminder signs at the exits to parking decks did not bo ost the rate of safety belt use at our institution. Other strategies are ne eded to achieve the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's goal o f increasing the overall rate of safety belt usage to 90% by the year 2005.