2003 SURVEY RESULTS

CHAPTER 2: REASONS FOR SAFETY BELT USE AND NON-USE (continued)

As with some of the age groups, the number of Blacks and Hispanics in the survey who reported non-use of safety belts was small. Thus, caution should be exercised in interpreting the numbers. Whites were more likely than Blacks to attribute non-use to a dislike for being told what to do or they were in a rush. Hispanics were more likely than the comparison group to attribute non-use to low crash probability (24%). Hispanics were less likely than other groups to say they were only driving a short distance (43%).

Table 26
Driver Reasons For Non-Use Of Safety Belts By Race And Ethnicity

Qx: Sometimes I do not wear my seat belt because…
Base: Drivers whose primary vehicle has safety belts and who at least on occasion do not wear their safety belt.

Reason	Race		Ethnicity
	Black	White	Hispanic	Non-Hispanic
	(N=145)	(N=1334)	(N=135)	(N=1541)
I’m only driving a short distance	55%	58%	43%	57%
I forgot to put it on	54%	55%	56%	55%
I’m in a rush	36%	41%	32%	40%
The seat belt is uncomfortable	28%	32%	25%	33%
I’m driving in light traffic	20%	23%	21%	22%
The probability of being in a crash is too low	18%	19%	24%	18%
Don’t want my clothes wrinkled	15%	10%	5%	10%
People I am with are not wearing belts	7%	8%	10%	8%
Don’t like being told what to do	12%	19%	20%	18%
Other	7%	7%	6%	8%

Drivers who had twelve or fewer years of formal schooling were less likely than those who had gone to college to give “driving only a short distance” as a reason for their non-use of safety belts. Meanwhile, college graduates were less likely than those with fewer years of formal education to cite discomfort. Safety belt non-users who had not completed high school composed only 203 cases in the study, thus once again readers should exercise caution in interpreting the numbers.

Table 27
Driver Reasons For Non-Use Of Safety Belts By Education

Qx: Sometimes I do not wear my seat belt because…
Base: Drivers whose primary vehicle has safety belts and who at least on occasion do not wear their safety belt.

Reason	Education
	Grade 11 or less	High school grad	Some college	College grad
	(N=203)	(N=558)	(N=419)	(N=499)
I’m only driving a short distance	48%	52%	60%	60%
I forgot to put it on	59%	51%	55%	57%
I’m in a rush	38%	37%	43%	41%
The seat belt is uncomfortable	37%	34%	36%	23%
I’m driving in light traffic	21%	22%	24%	21%
The probability of being in a crash is too low	18%	18%	19%	19%
Don’t want my clothes wrinkled	7%	10%	10%	12%
People I am with are not wearing belts	9%	9%	9%	7%
Don’t like being told what to do	19%	20%	19%	15%
Other	5%	8%	9%	7%

Driving only a short distance and forgetting to put it on were the most frequent reasons given for non-use of safety belts by all the driver groups listed below. Pickup truck drivers were more likely to say they do not wear their safety belt because they don’t like being told what to do. Once again, there are subgroups in the Table that contain 200 cases or less.

Table 28
Driver Reasons For Non-Use Of Safety Belts By Primary Vehicle Driven

Qx: Sometimes I do not wear my seat belt because…
Base: Drivers whose primary vehicle has safety belts and who at least on occasion do not wear their safety belt.

Reason	Primary vehicle
	Car	Van/Minivan	Pickup truck	SUV
	(N=912)	(N=156)	(N=357)	(N=200)
I’m only driving a short distance	54%	60%	57%	58%
I forgot to put it on	56%	52%	53%	51%
I’m in a rush	36%	43%	43%	48%
The seat belt is uncomfortable	30%	30%	34%	33%
I’m driving in light traffic	20%	28%	24%	25%
The probability of being in a crash is too low	19%	23%	18%	17%
Don’t want my clothes wrinkled	10%	13%	9%	9%
People I am with are not wearing belts	8%	3%	11%	9%
Don’t like being told what to do	16%	18%	24%	18%
Other	6%	8%	9%	8%

Most Important Reason For Non-Use Of Safety Belts
The most important reasons given for not wearing safety belts were usually that they forgot (25%) or were driving just a short distance (23%). About half as many drivers (13%) gave discomfort as their major reason for non-use. In addition, 13% of drivers did not agree that any of the listed reasons applied to them and also did not volunteer any reason for non-use. This inability or reluctance to provide a reason for non-use contrasts with data summarized earlier in this chapter showing that almost all drivers gave one or more reasons why they wore their safety belt.

[d]

 

As stated earlier, the vast majority of non-use occurred among persons who indicated at least some use of safety belts. Figure 30 shows that the most important reasons for non-use among part-time belt users were that they forgot (26%) or were only driving a short distance (25%). For those who rarely or never use their safety belt discomfort (28%) and the dislike of being told what to do (20%) predominated. “Other” reasons were mentioned by 18% of those rarely or never using safety belts. As in 2000, these “other” reasons tended to revolve around concerns about safety belts being dangerous, the absence of a habit of wearing safety belts, added complaints about discomfort, and the nonspecific argument that they just don’t feel like wearing them.

[d]

 

Table 29 lists these “Other” reasons given by the rare and never users, as specified in the verbatim file constructed from the interviewers’ notes. Bracketed words indicate a minor change made to what was written in the verbatim file, usually a grammatical correction. Otherwise, the listed statements duplicate what is in the verbatim file, including instances where sentences were not completed.

Table 29
Most Important Reason For Non-Use Of Safety Belt: Other Reasons Reported* By Rare/Never Users

Qx: Of the following reasons you just gave me for not wearing your seat belt, which is the most important?
Base: Rare and never users of safety belts who said that some “other” reason besides those read to them was the most important reason for their non-use.

I feel it [puts me] in danger sometimes.	Car crash and the belt would have killed me.
Don’t want to [get] stuck in my car in case of an accident.	Seat belt held them in place and kept them in place and severed their spine.
I’m scared that if I am in a wreck I may not be able to get out of the car.	I load logs if they come through I need to hit the floor.
Got stuck in one when I was a child.	If you’re in an accident you might get stuck.
Because I was in an accident.	It’s dangerous to wear them.
I hate them. I think they are overrated. Been hurt by them.	Rather be thrown from vehicle than be stuck inside.
I don’t feel like it.	I just don’t like to.
Because I’m short and it hits me in the chin.	My mother was seriously injured in an accident as a result of seat belt use.
Doctor said I don’t have to wear it.	Friend was killed by one.
Doesn’t wear seatbelt due to accident which would have killed him.	If had a seat belt on when I got in my wreck it would have killed me.
I am a police officer and they are exempt, but now they want us to wear them so I am going to start putting them on.	Turned a tractor trailer over in Dec. and if I would have had it on I would have been injured (would have lost my head and upper torso).
I [have] seen too many people killed from wearing them.	Don’t believe they work the way they claim because was in an accident.
I don’t think about it.	I don’t care for them.
I’m a large person and it’s hard to make a size 10 belt fit a size 15 body.	When I started driving we didn’t have to wear seat belts.
The school buses don’t have them.	The seat belt gets stuck between the seats.
Not required to in a truck.	Just don’t.
I don’t want to.	Just don’t want to.
I just don’t feel like wearing it.
*Because of their self-report nature, the statements may be inaccurate when they refer to specific incidents.

The largest differences between the genders in the primary reason for non-use of safety belts was that males more often attributed non-use to forgetting (26% to 23%) and females more often than males (15% to 11%) said that the safety belt is uncomfortable. Differences were also small between the three specified age groups.

Table 30
Most Important Reason For Driver Non-Use Of Safety Belts By Gender And Age

Qx: Of the following reasons you just gave me for not wearing your seat belt, which is the most important?
Base: Drivers whose primary vehicle has safety belts and who at least on occasion do not wear their safety belt.

Reason	Gender		Age
	Female	Male	16-20	21-64	65+
	(N=725)	(N=960)	(N=175)	(N=1351)	(N=147)
I’m only driving a short distance	23%	23%	19%	23%	25%
I forgot to put it on	23%	26%	31%	24%	23%
I’m in a rush	7%	9%	9%	9%	6%
The seat belt is uncomfortable	15%	11%	13%	12%	14%
I’m driving in light traffic	2%	3%	2%	3%	--
The probability of being in a crash is too low	2%	2%	4%	2%	1%
Don’t want my clothes wrinkled	1%	1%	1%	1%	*
People I am with are not wearing belts	1%	*	*	*	*
Don’t like being told what to do	5%	6%	6%	6%	4%
Other reason	2%	5%	2%	4%	4%
Can’t say one is most important/All are important	1%	1%	--	2%	1%
*Less then 0.5% - No cases.

There was little difference in percentages across the racial and ethnic groups listed in Table 31.

Table 31
Most Important Reason For Driver Non-Use Of Safety Belts By Race And Ethnicity

Qx: Of the following reasons you just gave me for not wearing your seat belt, which is the most important?
Base: Drivers whose primary vehicle has safety belts and who at least on occasion do not wear their safety belt.

Reason	Race		Ethnicity
	Black	White	Hispanic	Non-Hispanic
	(N=145)	(N=1334)	(N=135)	(N=1541)
I’m only driving a short distance	25%	23%	19%	23%
I forgot to put it on	27%	24%	29%	24%
I’m in a rush	9%	9%	5%	9%
The seat belt is uncomfortable	15%	13%	10%	13%
I’m driving in light traffic	--	2%	8%	2%
The probability of being in a crash is too low	2%	2%	4%	2%
Don’t want my clothes wrinkled	2%	1%	1%	1%
People I am with are not wearing belts	--	*	--	*
Don’t like being told what to do	3%	6%	7%	5%
Other reason	2%	4%	2%	4%
Can’t say one is most important/All are important	--	2%	1%	1%
*Less then 0.5% - No cases.

College graduates were more likely than those who had not graduated college to say that “driving a short distance” was their primary reason for non-use of safety belts. Drivers who had not graduated high school were more likely than the other groups to identify “forgetting” or “discomfort” as their primary reason for non-use.

Table 32
Most Important Reason For Driver Non-Use Of Safety Belts By Education

Qx: Of the following reasons you just gave me for not wearing your seat belt, which is the most important?
Base: Drivers whose primary vehicle has safety belts and who at least on occasion do not wear their safety belt.

Reason	Education
	Grade 11 or less	High school grad	Some college	College grad
	(N=203)	(N=558)	(N=419)	(N=499)
I’m only driving a short distance	16%	20%	22%	31%
I forgot to put it on	30%	22%	26%	25%
I’m in a rush	7%	9%	9%	8%
The seat belt is uncomfortable	18%	13%	11%	11%
I’m driving in light traffic	3%	2%	2%	2%
The probability of being in a crash is too low	2%	3%	2%	1%
Don’t want my clothes wrinkled	*	1%	1%	1%
People I am with are not wearing belts	*	*	1%	--
Don’t like being told what to do	6%	6%	6%	3%
Other reason	2%	5%	4%	3%
Can’t say one is most important/All are important	3%	1%	1%	1%
*Less then 0.5% - No cases.

SUV drivers were more likely to give “only driving a short distance” (29%) as their primary reason for non-use of safety belts. Drivers of passenger cars were more likely than the other groups to attribute their non-use of safety belts primarily to “forgetting.”

Table 33
Most Important Reason For Driver Non-Use Of Safety Belts By Primary Vehicle Driven

Qx: Of the following reasons you just gave me for not wearing your seat belt, which is the most important?
Base: Drivers whose primary vehicle has safety belts and who at least on occasion do not wear their safety belt.

Reason	Primary vehicle
	Car	Van/Minivan	Pickup truck	SUV
	(N=912)	(N=156)	(N=357)	(N=200)
I’m only driving a short distance	22%	24%	22%	29%
I forgot to put it on	28%	20%	23%	18%
I’m in a rush	7%	9%	9%	11%
The seat belt is uncomfortable	12%	14%	12%	14%
I’m driving in light traffic	2%	3%	2%	3%
The probability of being in a crash is too low	2%	1%	3%	1%
Don’t want my clothes wrinkled	1%	--	1%	3%
People I am with are not wearing belts	1%	--	--	--
Don’t like being told what to do	4%	5%	8%	4%
Other reason	3%	4%	5%	3%
Can’t say one is most important/All are important	1%	2%	1%	--
*Less than 0.5%

What Drivers Dislike Or Find Annoying About Safety Belts
All drivers, whether or not they wore their safety belts regularly, were asked if there was anything that they particularly disliked or found annoying about wearing them. One-third answered “Yes” (33%). Almost all of the rest responded that there was not any particular thing they disliked (67%). Less than 1 percent (0.1%) said they did not know.

[d]

 

Not surprisingly, persons who infrequently wore their safety belt were most likely to report annoyances. Whereas 31% of drivers who reported wearing their safety belts “all of the time” while driving said there was something particularly annoying about the belt, 40% of “most of the time” users and 46% of “some of the time” users voiced similar complaints. About one-half of those who rarely (48%) or never (49%) wore their safety belt said that there was something they disliked or found annoying about it.

[d]

 

Although the previous chapter showed females more likely than males to wear safety belts, females also were more likely to complain about the devices. Four-in-ten females (40%) said there was something they particularly disliked or found annoying about wearing their safety belt compared to one-in-four males (26%).

[d]

 

Pickup truck drivers had the fewest complaints about safety belts (30%) compared to the drivers of other passenger vehicle types.

[d]

 

If drivers reported that the shoulder belt in their primary vehicle was adjustable, they were less likely to express annoyance about safety belts. Whereas 30% of respondents with adjustable shoulder belts in their primary vehicle said there was something they particularly disliked or found annoying about wearing their safety belt, 37% without adjustable shoulder belts did the same. When only the drivers who said they had actually used the adjustable feature of their shoulder belts are considered, 31% expressed annoyance with safety belts.

[d]

 

If respondents said there was something they particularly disliked or found annoying about safety belts, they were asked to specify what bothered them. The most common complaint involved pressure or pain on various parts of the body (52%). Females (61%) especially experienced this type of discomfort compared to males (38%), particularly being choked by the safety belt (48% to 25%). Males were more likely to say the safety belt was too confining (27%) than females (15%).

Table 34
What Drivers Dislike Or Find Annoying About Safety Belts

Qx: Is there anything that you particularly dislike or find annoying about wearing your seat belt?
Qx: What is it that you dislike or find annoying? Anything else?
Base: Drivers who dislike or find something annoying about seat belts.

Dislikes/annoyances	Total (N=1088)	Males (N=717)	Females (N=1805)
Discomfort: body pressure/pain	52%	38%	61%
Pressure on my neck/Chokes me/Cuts across my neck	39%	25%	48%
Pressure on my shoulder/Shoulder strap too tight	7%	7%	7%
Pressure on my chest/Strap doesn’t fit my chest	5%	3%	6%
Pressure on my stomach/Lap belt is too tight	1%	2%	1%
Painful for body ailments	*	*	*
Seat belt is too tight (unspecified)	3%	4%	2%
Any other body pressure mentions	1%	1%	2%
Discomfort: body irritation	12%	10%	13%
Irritates/chafes my skin/Rash	11%	9%	12%
Makes me perspire/Perspire when it’s hot outside	*	1%	*
Seat belt should be padded/Material is too harsh	*	*	*
Any other body irritation mentions	*	*	*
Discomfort: other	10%	10%	10%
Uncomfortable (unspecified)	5%	5%	4%
Uncomfortable during pregnancy	1%	--	1%
Claustrophobia/Claustrophobic	1%	1%	*
Heavy/bulky winter clothes make it uncomfortable to wear	3%	3%	3%
Any other discomfort mentions	2%	1%	2%
*Less then 0.5% - No cases. Numbers do not add to 100% due to multiple response.

Table 34 (Continued)
What Drivers Dislike Or Find Annoying About Safety Belts

Dislikes/annoyances	Total (N=1805)	Males (N=717)	Females (N=1088)
Confining	20%	27%	15%
Feel restricted/Too confining/Constricting	14%	20%	10%
Hard to turn around/look behind me when backing up	1%	1%	1%
Hard to lean forward	3%	3%	3%
In case of crash/emergency it’s hard to get out of car	2%	2%	2%
Any other movement restrictions mentions	1%	1%	1%
Other	29%	35%	26%
Wrinkles my clothes	7%	3%	10%
Need to adjust seat belt for my size	1%	1%	2%
Seat belt is loose fitting	1%	1%	*
Seat belts are a nuisance/hassle/annoyance	5%	8%	3%
Invasion of privacy/Taking away constitutional rights	3%	6%	1%
Takes too much time to fasten seat belt	2%	2%	2%
Manual buckling/Release it manually	*	--	*
Any other seat belt adjustment mentions	5%	5%	6%
Seat belt gets stuck (unspecified)	*	*	*
Seat belt gets stuck in door	*	*	*
Any other seat belt malfunction	1%	2%	1%
Automatic seat belt gets in the way	*	*	*
Don’t like automatic seat belts	*	1%	*
Any other miscellaneous mentions	4%	6%	3%
Not sure/No answer	1%	2%	1%
*Less than 0.5%

Reasons For Safety Belt Use By Non-Drivers
Interviewers asked non-drivers their reasons for safety belt use while riding as passengers in motor vehicles. The approach was the same as that used with drivers: nine different reasons were read, one at a time, and non-drivers were asked whether or not each reason was a factor in their use of safety belts. They were also given an opportunity to volunteer any reasons for their safety belt use. Drivers were more likely than non-drivers to say they wear their safety belt because the vehicle had a bell, buzzer, or light that reminded them, and because it was a habit. Non-drivers were more likely than drivers to say they wear their safety belt because it is the law and because other people in the vehicle were wearing safety belts.

[d]

 

By far the most important reason for safety belt use by non-drivers (57%), as with drivers (66%), was to avoid serious injury. The “law” ranked a distant second for both groups.

[d]

 

Non-Drivers’ Reasons For Not Using Safety Belts
Non-drivers who at least sometimes did not wear a safety belt while riding were asked their reasons for non-use. As with drivers, interviewers read nine potential reasons to respondents. For each one, non-drivers were asked to agree or disagree that they sometimes did not wear their belt for that reason. They were then given an opportunity to volunteer other reasons why they did not use their safety belts. Readers are cautioned that the number of non-drivers (N=236) was relatively small in these analyses.

The most commonly cited reason was that they forgot to wear their safety belt (44%). Other frequently cited reasons were that they were only riding a short distance (34%), the safety belt was uncomfortable (30%), and they were in a rush (31%). Less than one-in-five non-drivers attributed at least some of their non-use to riding in light traffic (18%), they don’t like being told what to do (15%), their companions were not wearing safety belts (13%), or the probability of a crash was too low (13%).

The largest differences between drivers and non-drivers in the reasons given for not wearing safety belts occurred in the “short distance,” “forgot to put it on,” and “rushed” response categories. Drivers were more likely to attribute non-use to traveling only a short distance (56% to 34%), forgetting to put it on (55% to 44%) and being in a rush (40% to 31%). Conversely, non-drivers (13%) were more likely than drivers (8%) to say they did not wear safety belts because the people they were with were not wearing them.

[d]

When asked for the most important reason for not wearing safety belts, forgetting ranked first among non-drivers; about one-in-four (24%) gave it as the chief cause. Discomfort (11%), riding a short distance (8%), and disliking being told what to do (5%) followed in frequency. However, about one-in-three non-drivers (32%) did not agree that any of the listed reasons applied to them and also did not volunteer any reason.

Drivers were more than twice as likely as non-drivers to answer that the most important reason they did not wear their safety belt was because they were only going a short distance (23% versus 8%). Reluctance or inability to give a reason for non-use was more than twice as likely among non-drivers (32%) as among drivers (13%).

[d]