Protective Effects of Regular Seat Belt Use on Other Risky Motor Vehicle Behaviors Among Young Drivers

Abstract

Background Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of death among adolescents ages 15–24 in the United States. Young drivers are nearly three times more likely to die in a crash compared with drivers older than 20. From 2014 to 2015, fatalities among drivers ages 15–20 increased by nearly 10%, and in 2015, 47% of drivers ages 15 to 19 who died in a crash were unrestrained. Although the prevalence of seat belt use among young drivers is well-established, there is limited research on how regular usage impacts other motor vehicle (MV) behaviors. This study explores the prevalence of regular seat belt use and associations with other risky MV behaviors among US high school students. Methods Data came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a nationally representative sample of US high school students. The YRBS assessed seat belt use as a passenger during the 30 days before the survey, which included 9,895 students ages 16 or older. Seat belt use was coded into dichotomous (regular/always v. irregular) and polychotomous variables. Chi-square tests examined bivariate associations between regular seat belt use and demographic variables. Logistic regression assessed associations between regular seat belt use and other risky MV behaviors. Results The prevalence of regular seat belt use among students 16 or older was 62.3%. Students who regularly wore their seat belts were less likely to drink and drive (adjusted odds ratio: .294; 95% confidence interval: .245–.352; p Conclusions Less than two-thirds of US high school students ages 16 or older report regular seat belt use, and students who do not are more likely to engage in additional risky MV behaviors. This study suggests that increasing seat belt use among young drivers may have compounding benefits in reducing risky MV behavior and corresponding injuries and fatalities.