Seat Belts and Occupant Safety 2025
Hosted by Mr. Larry Decina
Mr. Decina is a Senior Associate for TransAnalytics, LLC. in Quakertown, PA. He holds a BS in Psychology and a MS in Information Science, both from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. He has over 40 years of experience in highway safety research. He has been a Principal Investigator on studies for NHTSA, IIHS, Safe Kids Worldwide, PennDOT, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, FHWA, and the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
His research in the past twenty years has primarily focused on seat belt and car seat law enforcement and public information programs, car seat messaging, and observation studies on car seat use and misuses. He has also conducted research throughout his career in older driver issues relating to medical and licensing issues, automated traffic signal and speed enforcement, transportation information and library science, traffic control, and other driver behavior issues.
He has presented his research at over 20 conferences for TRB, Lifesavers, NHTSA Regionals, PennDOT, and GHSA. He has over 50 publications and peer-reviewed journal articles on highway safety topics. He has developed guidebooks for child passenger safety (CPS) practitioners and law enforcement on observation techniques and enforcement. He is a certified CPS technician and present and past member of several Transportation Research Board Committees.
Seatbelt Use During Pregnancy
Dr. David Kidd
Seat belts greatly reduce the risk of fatal injury in a motor vehicle crash (Kahane, 2000). Occupants are encouraged to use seat belts during pregnancy but may use belts less or stop using belts because they may not know how to properly use a belt during pregnancy, find seat belts too uncomfortable, or are concerned about risks to the fetus (Pearce, 1992; Schiff et al., 1992). Improper belt placement or use may contribute to fetal death in a crash (Bunai et al., 2000), so it is critical that pregnant occupants not only use seat belts but use them properly. This study surveyed 804 pregnant and 1,127 not pregnant occupants about their seat belt use, reasons for non-use and seat belt positioning. About 90% of respondents reported always using a seat belt and reported use was not significantly different between occupants who were and were not pregnant. Among respondents who reported not always using a belt, pregnant occupants most commonly did not use a belt because they felt it was uncomfortable, perceived it as unsafe for their baby, or they forgot; not pregnant occupants most commonly forgot, found the belt uncomfortable, or were going on a short trip. Only 21% of pregnant occupants reported using a lap and shoulder belt correctly which was significantly less than not pregnant occupants who reported using a belt correctly (40%). Only one-third of pregnant occupants received information about belt use during pregnancy, and most received it from a doctor, midwife, or nurse. The findings indicate that motor vehicle occupants, especially those who are pregnant, may benefit from information about using a seat belt correctly. Seat belt designs should be improved to reduce discomfort which was often cited as a reason for inconsistent use, particularly among pregnant occupants.
Child Passenger Safety Perceptions and Practices in Ride-Sharing Vehicles
Dr. Doreen De Leonardis
The purpose of this study was to provide insight into how children are restrained when traveling in ride-share vehicles. An observational survey was conducted from July to August 2022 in two urban areas; the target population were children from birth to 12 years old transported in ride-share vehicles. The percentages of restrained children observed in ride-share vehicles was substantially lower than the national estimate of 89.8% for children traveling in private vehicles (Boyle, 2023). About half of the children observed were traveling unrestrained and the remainder were either using the vehicle seat belts or a child restraint system (CRS). Substantial percentages of infants (46%), toddlers (49%), and children (51%) were traveling unrestrained. The observed CRS use rate was 8.1%, with 41% of restrained children using seat belts.
The Human Cost of Allowing Unhelmeted Motorcycling in the United States
Mr. Eric Teoh
Introduction: This study's objective was to estimate the number of motorcyclist fatalities attributable to laws that allow unhelmeted riding in the United States since 1976.
Method: Counts of helmeted and unhelmeted motorcyclist fatalities were used to estimate population-level helmet use under all-rider helmet laws and in the absence of such laws. The number of lives that could have been saved if helmet use in States that allowed unhelmeted riding was equal to helmet use in States with all-rider helmet laws was estimated for each year and summed over the study years.
Results: If all States had all-rider helmet laws throughout the 1976–2022 study period, 22,058 fewer motorcyclists would have died in crashes. This represents 11% of all motorcyclist fatalities during these years. The number of motorcyclists killed in 2022 would have been 10% lower. Currently, 17 States and the District of Columbia have an all-rider helmet law in place.
Conclusion: Requiring helmets for all motorcyclists is a straightforward rule of the road that has the potential to reduce annual motorcyclist fatalities, which are at record-high levels of over 6,000 per year, by 10%. All-rider helmet laws are a fundamental component of a Safe System for motorcycling.
Practical Applications: States should consider the human cost of not having all-rider helmet laws and use this tool to reduce the number of riders killed in crashes.
The National Digital Car Seat Check Form: Detailed Data and Analysis on Car Seat Use
Ms. Adele Polson
The National Digital Car Seat Check Form (NDCF) dataset represents the most comprehensive source of information on over 250,000 car seat checks. This child passenger safety data collection tool is free to all certified technicians. The NDCF is available as a web-based platform, app, or paper form. The form is intended to streamline the car seat check process, guiding car seat inspections in a consistent manner. Once a seat check is complete, all data is uploaded to servers which Westat accesses to clean the data. Each month we prepare over 4,000 customized dashboards which detail the number and type of car seat checks, exhaustive analytics on misuse, car seat information and vehicle information. The dashboards also contain a data table tool which allows users to conduct their own analysis. The dashboards have been developed to follow a tiered-access system so that technicians, program leads, and manufacturers have access to the data they have entered.
This presentation will provide a brief overview of the NDCF program and review the data dashboards. Additionally, this presentation will unveil the next generation in NDCF data presenting new analysis which leverages Census data to identify underserved communities. NDCF usership is steadily increasing. The next step is to harness the robust data it produces to help target outreach and to better serve all children.
Improving Vehicle Safety Standards for All: An Investigation into Sex-Based Injury Risks and Seating Patterns
Dr. Alyssa Ryan
This presentation examines significant sex-based differences in vehicle occupant safety, focusing on injury severity, injury types, and the impact of seating positions. Despite advancements in vehicle safety technology, traditional testing and design protocols have largely overlooked the distinct needs of female drivers, resulting in higher injury risks in comparable crash scenarios. Notably, our research highlights how women and men differ in their seating positions and preferences, with findings showing that women are more likely to sit closer to the steering wheel. This difference, along with other seat adjustments, can increase (or decrease) injury risks for different individuals. Additionally, the variation in travel behaviors and modal choices between men and women creates distinct safety and security challenges. This presentation highlights these disparities in injury outcomes and seating patterns between male and female drivers, and offers actionable recommendations for improving vehicle safety standards.