Assessment of Three Affiliated Tribes Primary Seat Belt Intervention

Abstract

Tribal populations experience a greater risk for traffic injuries than other populations. The Three Affiliated Tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation recently enacted a primary seat belt law to improve public safety on its roads. A comparison of field observation study results from early in the intervention and from a later observation study revealed that gains in seat belt use may have eroded in towns. On highways, however, the intervention appears to have produced sustained gains in seat belt use by male drivers of cars and sport utility vehicles. Previous studies showed that the longer-term success of the primary law intervention requires ongoing reinforcement with respect to education and enforcement activities.