Buckle up: non-seat belt use and antisocial behavior in the United States

Abstract

Objective To compare persons who report that they never wear a seat belt while driving or as a passenger to those that do in a nationally representative sample in the United States. Our guiding hypothesis is that failure to wear a seat belt is part of an antisocial behavior spectrum. Methods Using public-use data from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), this study employed binary logistic regression with adjustments for complex survey sampling to assess relationships between never wearing a seat belt and sociodemographic variables, antisocial behaviors, substance abuse and co-occurring problems, and criminal justice system contact. Results Individuals who do not wear seat belts are younger, more likely to be male, less likely to be African-American or Hispanic, have incomes less than $75,000, and be a high school or college graduate. After controlling for the effects of age, gender, race, income, education, and population density, individuals reporting that they never wear a seat belt while driving or as a passenger are more likely to report using alcohol and drugs (adjusted odds ranging from 1.61 to 2.56), committing antisocial behaviors including felony offenses (adjusted odds ranging from 2.13 to 3.57), and possess a dual diagnosis (adjusted odds ranging from 1.62 to 1.73). Conclusions Findings indicate that non-seat belt use is convergent with a spectrum of serious antisocial behavior and comorbid psychological distress. Importantly, results suggest that standard seat belt use policies and campaigns may not be effective for non-seat belt using individuals and a targeted approach may be needed.

Seatbelt Use and Related Factors Among Drivers Involved in Road Crashes in Southeast Iran

“…Furthermore, driver education was the most important determinant of seatbelt use in the multivariate analysis. This finding is in line with studies that have consistently reported a positive association between seatbelt use and driver education (4,(6)(7)(8)28). Better-educated drivers, by wearing seatbelts, showed a lower risk preference.…”

“…Many studies have reported higher compliance of seatbelt use among female drivers (3,6,8,13,14,16,19,26). No significant difference was found in the current study; this may be due to the small number of female drivers.…”

“…Another reason could be lower socioeconomic status of drivers of old cars. Drivers with lower socioeconomic status are more likely to exhibit multiple risk behaviors (6,28).…”

“…Driver gender, age, educational level, income, marital status, BMI, religiosity, and race have been reported to be determinants of driver seatbelt use (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). Driver behaviors such as speed (17), mobile phone use while driving (18), alcohol/drug involvement (8,12), smoking, driving errors, regular walking, and having adequate sleep (19) are also predictors of seatbelt use for drivers.…”

Study on Drivers’ Behaviour Relationships to Reduce Road Accidents in Puchong, Selangor Darul Ehsan

“…Drivers' behaviour is the major aspect of causing road accident. Drivers' behaviour that contribute to road accidents such as using mobile phone while driving, drunk driving, speeding, driving in hurry, improper overtaking car and dangerous driving (Vaughn et al 2012). In Malaysia, motorcycle type almost contributed to the scene of the accident (Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia 2012).…”