Stronger laws appear effective in encouraging teens to use seat belts

April 24, 2012

HealthDay (4/24, Preidt) reports, “Teen drivers and passengers are more likely to use seat belts if they’re in states with primary-enforcement seat belt laws, often promoted as ‘click it or ticket’ laws,” according to a study published in the April 19 online edition of the American Journal of Public Health. The study notes that “primary seat belt laws have been proven to reduce death rates in traffic collisions” and “revealed that teens in states with secondary laws were 12 percent less likely to wear a seat belt when driving and 15 percent less likely to do so as a passenger than teens in states with primary laws.”