title: Motor Vehicle Crash Fatalities in States With Primary Versus Secondary Seat Belt Laws: A Time-Series Analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) remain a leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States. Primary seat belt laws allow vehicle occupants to be ticketed solely for not wearing seat belts, and secondary laws allow ticketing only for failure to wear seat belts in the setting of other violations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the association between MVC fatality rates and primary versus secondary seat belt laws.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective time-series analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  United States, 2001 to 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  MVC fatalities in occupants aged 10 years or older identified in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based rates of fatal crashes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 283 183 MVC fatalities in occupants aged 10 years or older from 2001 to 2010 (overall rate, 13.0 per 100 000 persons). In 2001, the mean fatality rate was 14.6 per 100 000 persons, 16 states had primary seat belt laws, and 33 states had secondary laws. In 2010, the mean fatality rate was 9.7 per 100 000 persons, 30 states had primary seat belt laws, and 19 states had secondary laws. In the multivariate regression model, states with primary seat belt laws had lower MVC fatality rates than states with secondary laws (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.78 to 0.90]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only fatalities were analyzed from the database, and the degree of law enforcement could not be ascertained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  States with primary seat belt laws had lower rates of MVC fatalities than those with secondary laws. Adoption of primary seat belt laws may offer optimal occupant protection.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  None.
authors.forename: Lois K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Monuteaux
authors.forename: Lindsey C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Burghardt
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Fleegler
authors.forename: Lise E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Nigrovic
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Meehan
authors.forename: Sara A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Schutzman
authors.forename: Rebekah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mannix
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult