Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to increase the use of safety belts

Background: The use of safety belts is the single most effective means of r educing fatal and nonfatal injuries in motor vehicle crashes. If all motor vehicle occupants consistently wore safety belts, an estimated 9553 deaths would have been prevented in 1999 alone. Methods: The Guide to Community Preventive Services's methods for systemati c reviews were used to evaluate the effectiveness of three interventions to increase safety belt use. Effectiveness was assessed on the basis of chang es in safety belt use and number of crash-related injuries. Results: Strong evidence was found for the effectiveness of safety belt law s in general and for the incremental effectiveness of primary safety belt l aws relative to secondary laws. Strong evidence for the effectiveness of en hanced enforcement programs for safety belt laws was also found. Additional information is provided about the applicability, other effects, and barrie rs to implementation of these interventions. Conclusions: These reviews form the basis of the recommendations by the Tas k Force on Community Preventive Services presented elsewhere in this supple ment. They can help decision makers identify and implement effective interv entions that fit within an overall strategy to increase safety belt use.