Use of Safety Belts: Primary (vs. Secondary) Enforcement Laws

Task Force Finding*

Primary enforcement safety belt laws allow a police officer to stop a vehicle solely for an observed belt law violation.

The Task Force strongly recommends these laws over secondary enforcement laws, which allow a police officer to issue a belt law citation only if the vehicle has been stopped for another violation. The strong recommendation is based on the superior effectiveness of primary enforcement safety belt laws in increasing safety belt use and reducing fatal injuries compared with secondary enforcement safety belt laws in the United States. Potential harms and other positive effects considered are similar to those for safety belt laws in general. In addition, although differential enforcement based on race or ethnicity has been reported as a concern, studies that looked for evidence of such differential enforcement found none. No qualifying economic information was identified from the literature.

*From the following publication:

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to reduce injuries to motor vehicle occupants: increasing child safety seat use, increasing safety belt use, and reducing alcohol-impaired driving. [PDF - 78KB] Am J Prev Med 2001;21(4S):16-22.

Review completed: October 2000