Traffic Safety Facts

Traffic Tech – Technology Transfer Series

Number 378 June 2009

Increasing Rural Seat Belt Use in Six Great 

Lakes States

U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

In May 2006, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, 

and Ohio participated in the second year of a National 

 Highway Traffic Safety Administration-sponsored rural demonstration project (RDP) to increase seat belt use in the rural 

areas of NHTSA’s Region 5. These States targeted their rural 

areas with one week of seat belt enforcement messages followed by one week of intensified seat belt enforcement. Immediately afterward, these States also participated in the National 

Click It or Ticket (CIOT) mobilization, and implemented statewide waves of paid media and seat belt enforcement. 

Media

The 2006 rural program was similar to the 2005 RDP, targeting 

227 counties in 30 media markets across six States. While Illinois, 

Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin targeted reasonably large 

segments of their total population, Indiana and Ohio focused 

on smaller segments of the population. The States spent about 

$1.2 million in paid advertising during the RDP phase, which 

represents about 15¢ per capita in the targeted rural areas, and 

$3.2 million during CIOT, which represents about 9¢ per capita 

statewide. In 2006, States purchased more advertisements on 

radio and less on television. The States achieved gross rating 

points (GRPs) that far exceeded the objective of 300 to 400 GRPs 

per target market. In 2006, the GRPs increased from 480 during 

the RDP to 520 during CIOT, which was a slight decline from 

the GRPs obtained in 2005.

Enforcement

Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin intensified 

seat belt enforcement during the 2006 RDP, an increase from the 

three States (Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio) that intensified enforcement during the first year of the program. All States increased 

their seat belt enforcement during CIOT. Nearly all States used 

regular grantees as their core group of participants, with additional agencies recruiting by means of special grants or equipment incentives. Law enforcement liaisons played a major role 

in the recruitment process. During the RDP and CIOT, police 

issued approximately 170,000 citations for seat belt violations, 

averaging 33 citations per 10,000 residents, which was a 30 

 percent increase from 2005. 

Awareness

Evaluation contractors in each State designed and conducted 

observational and awareness surveys. Telephone surveys and 

motorist surveys at driver licensing offices measured changes in 

the public awareness of seat belt messages and perception of seat 

belt enforcement. On average, in targeted rural areas, awareness 

of messages to buckle up increased 8 percentage points during 

the RDP phase and an additional 8 percentage points during the 

CIOT phase. Statewide, the awareness of messages to buckle 

up increased an average of 14 percentage points during the 

 combined RDP and CIOT phases.

Figure 1. Awareness of Special Enforcement Efforts; 

 Averages in Rural Targeted Areas1

0

20

40

60

80

w1

16

55

w2

31

56

w3

52

62

Percent

Special Enforcement More Tickets Ticket Likely

During the rural effort, the greatest changes across 

States were the perception of more than usual messages 

(average increase of 32 percentage points in rural areas 

and 27 points statewide) and the awareness of special 

enforcement efforts (average increase of 31 points in 

rural areas and 29 points statewide). Three States (Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio) experienced significant statewide increases in the perceived likelihood of getting a 

ticket, a great deterrence measure.

Changes in Observed Usage

In 2006, seat belt use increased significantly in the targeted 

rural areas in every State except Minnesota. Two States 

 (Illinois, Michigan) significantly increased seat belt use during the RDP phase and three States (Illinois, Michigan, and 

Wisconsin) experienced increases during the CIOT phase. 

1

 These percentages are averages of the subset of four States (Illinois, 

Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin) that conducted post-RDP 

(w2) telephone surveys and that asked these questions.
TRAFFIC TECH is a publication to disseminate information about 

traffic safety programs, including evaluations, innovative programs, and new publications. Feel free to copy it as you wish. If you 

would like to receive a copy, contact Angela H. Eichelberger, Ph.D., 

Editor, fax 202-366-7394, e-mail: angela.eichelberger@dot.gov.

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., NTI-132

Washington, DC 20590

Table 1. Observed Seat 

CIOT Mobilizations

Belt Use During the 2006 RDP and 

Rural Usage Rates (%) State Usage Rates (%)

Pre-RDP Post-RDP Post-CIOT Pre-RDP Post-RDP Post-CIOT

Illinois 80.9 84.5 86.4 84.6 86.5 90.5

Indiana 72.8 74.9 75.7 79.7 - 83.8

Michigan 81.4 86.1 91.6 - 89.9 94.0

Minnesota 81.1 81.6 81.1 83.2 83.0 84.0

Ohio 75.7 - 79.1 79.6 - 81.7

Wisconsin 70.6 71.5 74.7 68.7 72.8 76.0

All States except Minnesota experienced significant statewide 

increases in observed seat belt usage. The median gain was 4.1 

percentage points in 2006, a smaller gain than the median gain 

of 4.8 percentage points in 2005. In 2006, the largest increase 

was 7.3 points in Wisconsin, compared with a maximum gain 

of 12 points in 2005 in Ohio. Illinois and Wisconsin experienced 

significant seat belt increases. Michigan measured usage before 

and after the CIOT and found a significant increase of 4.1 points. 

Indiana had a 4-point gain and Ohio had a 2-point gain, but 

because neither State conducted a post-RDP survey, we do not 

know when these increases occurred. Minnesota’s belt rate did 

not change.

Two-Year Changes in Observed Usage

Over the course of the two-year demonstration program, there 

was a median 9.2-point increase in observed usage in the rural 

targeted areas. Statewide, the median change was 6.6 percentage 

points (average of 6.9 points), including slight declines in usage 

between mobilizations. 

Figure 2. Trends in the Great Lakes Region and U.S. 

Observed Seat Belt Use Rates

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Percent Usage

87 85 84

81 79

74

72 70

GLR/R5 (weighted) Ave. USA Rate (NOPUS)

Impact on Subgroups in Rural Targeted Areas

Over the two-year program, the largest average gains in rural 

targeted areas were among males, adults, and occupants of 

pickup trucks (all with 12-point average gains); followed by 

youth and seniors (average of +11 points); and by drivers, passengers, and occupants of passenger cars (+10 points). All of 

these gains include changes between mobilizations. 

Regional Versus U.S. Changes in Usage 

(Observed and Among Crash Victims)

Observed seat belt use in the six Great Lake States and in the 

nation increased similarly from 2000 through 2003, after which 

usage in the Great Lakes Region (GLR) continued its upward 

trend while national usage began to level off. By 2006, there was 

a 4- to 5-point difference between the GLR rate and the U.S. rate. 

Thus, it is possible that participation in the RDP facilitated continued increases in observed usage in the GLR during a period 

when national progress slowed. 

Seat belt use among passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes 

increased at a slightly greater rate in the GLR than was the case 

nationally. This greater rate of increase in the GLR appears to 

have begun in 2002, which is when the first CIOT mobilization 

was implemented in the Region. Usage in the GLR continued 

to increase through 2005, while national gains leveled off after 

2004. In 2005 and 2006, the Region’s rate was 3 to 4 points higher 

than the U.S. rate, greater than in any of the five previous years. 

Figure 3. Trends in the Great Lakes Region and U.S. Seat 

Belt Use Rates Among Passenger Vehicle Occupants Killed 

(Source: FARS) 2000–2006

38

40

42

44

46

48

50

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Percent FARS Use

GLR/R5 (weighted) Ave. USA FARS Rate

How to Order

To order Evaluation of a Rural Demonstration Program to 

Increase Sear Belt Use in The Great Lakes Region (76 pages 

plus appendices), prepared by Preusser Research Group, 

write to the Office of Behavioral Safety Research, NHTSA, 

NTI-130, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 

20590, fax 202-366-7394, or download from www.nhtsa.

gov. John Siegler, Ph.D., was the Contracting Officer’s 

Technical Representative for this project.