Thisstudy wasasurvey on the impact of the Texassafety belt law. Observations were conducted before the law'senactment; after enactment of the law withoutpenalty fee; and onemonth and twelve months after enactment of the law with penalty fee. Results of the study indicate a significantly higher rate of safety belt compliance following the enactment of the law. Female drivers were consistently more compliant with wearing safety belts. Young male drivers were the least compliant with the new law. Rehabilitation nursessharepublic concern with this health promotion issue due to the large number of spinal c o d and head injuries which directly result from the nonuse of safety belts.he American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports