Achieving a 

High Seat Belt Use Rate

A Guide for Selective Traffic Enforcement Programs

Before Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

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“The single most effective action we can take to

save lives on America's roadways is to increase

seat belt and child safety seat use.”

Rodney Slater, Former Secretary of Transportation

When used properly, lap/shoulder belts reduce the risk of fatal injury

to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of

moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. Even greater risk reduction

results when seat belts are used properly in light trucks. 

Although seat belts have been installed in automobiles since the

1950s, the seat belt use rate was only 14 percent as late as 1984.

The use rate grew rapidly to 42 percent by 1987 as 31 states

passed seat belt use laws, and the rate continued to increase each

year as additional states adopted seat belt legislation. In 1998, the

national seat belt use rate was 69 percent.

In 1997, President Clinton initiated the Buckle Up America

Campaign. The goal of the campaign is to increase seat belt use to

90 percent by 2005. The four elements of the plan are: building

public-private partnerships; enacting strong legislation; conducting

well-coordinated education; and maintaining active, high-visibility

enforcement.

This report summarizes recent advances in achieving and

publicizing high-visibility enforcement. Publicity and enforcement

strategies are available NOW that will enable communities to reach

the 90 percent belt use goal.

sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 1
2 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 3

This report describes:

Development of sTEPs.......................................... 5

Buckle Up NOW in Elmira, New York......................... 6

Where to do Community sTEPS............................... 8

Organizing Local Efforts........................................ 9

Publicizing a sTEP.............................................. 10

Enforcement Strategies........................................12

Using Data in Conducting sTEPs............................. 15

Timing sTEPs....................................................17

Overall Statewide Effort....................................... 18

Appendix A - Data Collection Forms and Directions......20

Appendix B - NHTSA Resources............................. 23
4 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 5

Development of sTEPs

High seat belt use rates are directly

related to vigorous enforcement of a

comprehensive belt use law. A

Selective Traffic Enforcement

Program (sTEP) can produce large

gains in belt use over short periods of

time. Continuing enforcement

between periods of sTEP activity can

maintain these gains.

Canada was the first country in North

America to demonstrate that highly

publicized occupant protection

enforcement can increase compliance

with seat belt laws. In the mid-70s,

following passage of Canada's

mandatory seat belt laws, usage

surged as high as 71 percent within

months, but then declined. Highvisibility, short-duration enforcement

programs, conducted in several

provinces, led to sharp increases in

belt use. Continued use of occupant

protection sTEPs contributed to

Canada's achievement of an 87

percent use rate by the early 1990s.

New York State experienced a similar

rise, and then decline, in belt use

rates following its passage of the first

statewide seat belt law in 1984. In

1985, Chemung County, New York,

implemented an enforcement program

based on the Canadian model. The

“Elmira Program” demonstrated that

periodic sTEPs can increase use of

passenger restraints in the U.S. The

first sTEP conducted in Chemung

County increased belt use from 49

percent to 77 percent in three weeks.

A second sTEP conducted in spring

1986 produced a peak belt use rate of

80 percent.

In North Carolina, seat belt use rates

rose to 78 percent shortly after a

primary law was passed in 1986, but

then declined to 65 percent by 1993.

The state conducted a series of

occupant protection sTEPs in 1994

and increased driver belt use to 81

percent.

Later in 1994, NHTSA funded further

tests of statewide sTEPs in New

Mexico, South Carolina, Vermont, and

Oregon. The result was an overall

increase of four percentage points in

belt use in participating communities.

NHTSA’s Campaign Safe and Sober

funded sTEPs in 20 states in 1996

and 1997. More than a quarter million

seat belt citations were written as part

of sTEP enforcement activity. Belt

use increases averaged +8

percentage points in secondary law

states (where an officer needs some

other reason to stop a vehicle) and

+21 percentage points in states with

primary laws (where an officer can

stop a vehicle based on an observed

belt law violation alone). In the states

completing at least five sTEP waves,

the largest increases in belt use rates

occurred during the first sTEP (wave

1). Smaller increases were seen

through each successive sTEP wave

(waves 2-5) in both primary and

secondary law states.

Primary law states; +20.6 percentage points

Secondary law states; +7.6 percentage points

Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4 Wave 5

62.9

75.9 75.0

81.0

76.4

82.9

79.7

83.9

78.7

83.5

54.7

59.3 57.7

61.1

58.5

62.3

60.0

62.6

60.0

62.3

50

60

70

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pre post pre post pre post pre post pre post

Percent driver seat belt use

Campaign Safe and Sober sTEP Results, 1996-97
6 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate

Buckle Up NOW in Elmira

In October 1999, NHTSA and the

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

contracted with the Preusser

Research Group, Inc., to conduct an

updated “Elmira” sTEP in Chemung

County, New York. The goal was to

demonstrate that seat belt use can be

increased to achieve the President's

90 percent goal. The belt use rate in

Chemung County on October 1, 1999,

was 63 percent. In just three weeks,

belt use increased to 90 percent.

Occupant restraint sTEP enforcement

has been evolving as public attitudes

change and new strategies are

developed and tested. The primary

goal of the Buckle Up NOW sTEP in

Elmira was to develop an updated

program capable of achieving 90

percent belt use.

The first 1985 Elmira sTEP was a

three-week program of publicity,

followed by warnings and publicity,

followed by citations and publicity.

Over the course of this program,

approximately three warnings were

issued for every citation. While

some belt use checkpoints were

implemented, checkpoints were not a

central component of the first Elmira

sTEP.

In later sTEPs, as belt use laws

became more widely accepted by the

public, warnings were issued less

frequently. The “2nd generation”

sTEP model called for a period of

“soft” publicity about the value of

wearing a seat belt; followed by a

brief period of “hard” publicity during

which the public was told that

intensified enforcement was coming;

followed by a period of intensive

enforcement with continued publicity.

The Buckle Up NOW sTEP in Elmira

began with a brief period of direct,

sharply focused, “hard” publicity,

and then moved immediately to

no-excuses high-visibility

enforcement. The media plan was

designed to reach every motorist in

the target area. Checkpoints were

used extensively, since they are the

most visible enforcement strategy.

The enforcement goal was to make it

virtually impossible to drive without

getting a citation when not wearing a

seat belt.

Before Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

Percent belt use

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Data Collection

Enforcement

Publicity

Buckle Up NOW!

New Record

90%

In Elmira, NY
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 7

A successful sTEP program takes

considerable time and resources to

organize. Community coalitions need

to be built, official and enforcement

support garnered, and a public

information and education plan

structured. But, once developed, the

ability to carry out effective, periodic

sTEP waves will be in place, as long

as community support and resources

remain.

A sTEP program includes: 1) data

collection, before the enforcement

begins and throughout its duration;

2) publicity that announces the

beginning of strict enforcement and

continues to keep the public aware of

enforcement; 3) highly visible

enforcement each day of the

enforcement period; and 4) a media

event announcing program results

and thanking all participants in the

community. 

Integrate the following elements into your sTEP program:

• Formation of a community coalition, spearheaded by enforcement

leaders and with official support

• Highly publicized, zero-tolerance enforcement of seat belt and

child restraint violations, including safety checkpoints if allowed 

• Intensive publicity focusing on enforcement

• Collection of data to monitor program result

• Feedback to the community on enforcement results and progress

toward the usage goal

sTEP Program Model

Data Collection

Publicity

Enforcement

Concluding Media Event
8 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate

$

Where to Do Community sTEPs

The goal of special traffic enforcement

is to change motorist behavior.

Gaining law enforcement and

community support and achieving

high visibility are primary

considerations in doing a sTEP. 

Data indicate the community is in

need of improvement; crashes are

high or belt use is low

Analysis of crash locations and belt

use can be helpful in determining the

need for improvement and for

targeting efforts. 

The community should be a welldefined geographic area

sTEP areas should be defined so that

residents have a common sense of

belonging to a community. Thus, the

community may be a single city, town,

or county, but it may also be a central

city plus the surrounding suburbs.

Alternatively, it may be one or more

rural counties. However, there should

be media outlets that specifically

serve the selected area so that the

enforcement message can be

delivered directly to the target

audience.

Official Support must be garnered

sTEPs work best in communities

where enforcement agencies can

partner with local government, public

service organizations, the media, and

businesses to generate overwhelming

program intensity. 

Enforcement must be willing and

able to support the sTEP

Since communities typically include

several political jurisdictions, sTEPs

are most successful when all

enforcement agencies in the

community are involved. Urban

centers often are surrounded by

suburbs and outlying rural areas, each

with its own enforcement agency. The

entire community may be served by

the same media and the same

business outlets, and drivers may

cross several political jurisdictions on

a single trip. Considerable energy

can be achieved when sTEPs involve

the state, county, and local

enforcement agencies serving the

community.

Both the publicity plan and the

enforcement plan need

sufficient resources to reach

every driver in the community.

In general, when supporting

community sTEPs, states

should try to include as large a

percentage of the state's

population as resources

permit. However, each

selected community must be

manageable within existing

resources. To achieve high

belt use, the sTEP model

requires adequate resources to

permit full enforcement and

publicity saturation.
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 9

Organizing Local Efforts

Strong local leadership and

coordination are essential to

conducting a successful sTEP. Since

enforcement agencies play a central

role in conducting these campaigns,

the leadership role generally is filled

by a high-ranking law enforcement

official. Safe Communities or

Community Traffic Safety Programs

have also taken the lead in

coordinating successful campaigns,

particularly where multiple

enforcement agencies are involved.

Regardless of who coordinates the

campaign, up-front commitment to the

program is needed from top

management in each participating

enforcement agency. 

A high-level enforcement official

should take the lead in carrying the

message to the public. This program

spokesperson may also oversee

program planning and coordination,

although successful programs have

been implemented with different

people acting in these two roles. 

Sub-coordinators can be designated

for specific elements of the program:

1) Planning and coordinating

enforcement

2) Planning and coordinating data

collection

3) Developing public information

materials

4) Planning and coordinating publicity

Community involvement is essential.

sTEP organizers must have the full

support of elected officials. The

program also should be coordinated

with the courts, since their caseloads

will be affected directly by the number

of citations issued. 

The leadership role for Elmira's

Buckle Up NOW! was assumed by

Sheriff Charles D.W. Houper of

Chemung County. The Sheriff also

assumed the overall planning and

coordination function. All other local

enforcement agencies participated in

the planning and implementation of

the program; each conducted special

enforcement within its jurisdiction.

Other participating local enforcement

leaders included the Chiefs of the

police departments of the City of

Elmira, the Town of Elmira, and the

Villages of Elmira Heights,

Horseheads, and Southport.
10 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate

Publicizing a sTEP

The publicity surrounding a sTEP is just

as important as the actual enforcement.

In fact, it is not likely that enforcement

alone will generate the level of public

exposure and perception of risk needed

to make a significant impact on the

community. Since the main goal of

occupant protection sTEPs is to get the

public to buckle up, the more visibility

your program receives, the better. 

Publicity for Elmira’s Buckle Up NOW

program concentrated almost entirely

on informing the public about the

enforcement effort. Health and safety

messages that have been promoted for

many years were less visible. Elmira's

message was simple and straightforward: Buckle Up NOW, or you will

get a ticket.

Publicity can be generated in many

ways, including distribution of publicity

materials, paid advertising, public

service announcements, and earned

media (i.e., news coverage). Messages

tailored to the community are most

effective. State and federal sources

offer a variety of generic materials.

Often it is possible to customize these

materials with a local logo or tag line. 

Publicizing the Elmira sTEP

• Press Conferences

• News Releases

• Large Newspaper Ads

• Variable Message Boards

• Radio Spots

• Signs on Patrol Cars

• Banners 

• Posters

• Flyers

• Radio, Television, and Newspaper

Coverage

Paid advertising is the most expensive

alternative and usually is not

reimbursed by enforcement grant

funding. Sometimes a commercial

sponsor may be willing to fund it in

return for a tag line identifying the

company as a sponsor, or to add the

occupant enforcement message to their

company’s own advertising.

Earned media and media advocacy

approaches are powerful tools for

changing community attitudes and

norms about a variety of public health

issues. Earned media is the media

coverage your program earns whenever

it makes the news on television or

radio, or in the newspapers. In Elmira,

press events announced the beginning

of the sTEP program. Typically, kick-off

press events feature speakers that

validate the campaign's importance to

the community, such as elected

officials, enforcement leaders, medical

personnel, prominent members of the

business community, and crash victims

or their surviving families. 

To maintain the program’s visibility

throughout the program period, frequent

press releases can report changing

seat belt use rates, citation counts, or

other indicators of activity. During the

enforcement period, media

representatives may be invited to

observe belt use checkpoints and other

enforcement activities. 
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 11

Checkpoints are effective because

they are highly visible, and not

necessarily because they result in the

issuance of a large number of

citations. Police can put signs on all

patrol vehicles, designating them as

seat belt enforcement vehicles.

Concentrating vehicles on high traffic

corridors enhances visibility and

conveys the impression that

enforcement is intense. Officers, on

every contact, should tell motorists

that occupant restraint laws are being

enforced, and they should commend

motorists who are using seat belts

and child safety seats.

Feedback Signs are a highly

effective way to increase seat belt use

in the context of a sTEP. These

roadside signs, conspicuously posted

on heavily traveled roads, frequently

update belt use rates and the high

record use rate. The signs remind

motorists about wearing their seat belt

and imply a constant and vigorous

enforcement presence. They become

part of the publicity about the

community's usage goal and progress

toward that goal. The 1999 Elmira

sTEP used 18 feedback signs in

heavily traveled locations. Use rates

were updated every two days, starting

the week before enforcement began

and continuing throughout the

campaign.
12 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate

Enforcement Strategies

The first action of the coordinating

enforcement agency is to develop a

sTEP enforcement plan, integrating

the efforts of all participating

agencies. The plan specifies special

enforcement activities by day of week

and time of day. Days, locations, and

times should be staggered so that

virtually all motorists, regardless of

when or where they drive, will

encounter enforcement. Operations

conducted jointly with participating

agencies convey a unified enforcement presence and strengthen the

message.

Enforcement efforts may involve

checkpoints, saturation patrols,

regular patrols, or a combination.

The particular type of enforcement

will vary based on state laws, size of

agency, and staff resources. The goal

in selecting enforcement strategies is

to let residents know that there is near

certainty of a ticket if they don't wear

their seat belt. 

Checkpoints

Checkpoints are the most visible type

of occupant protection enforcement.

Productivity is highest when

checkpoints are done in daylight

hours and when officers are posted to

spot violators before vehicles reach

the checkpoint location. Checkpoints

should be conducted on weekdays

and weekends, at different locations,

and at different times of the day. 

Saturation Patrols

Checkpoints may be supplemented

with saturation and foot patrols.

Saturation-type enforcement may be

necessary in secondary law states

and in jurisdictions that do not permit

checkpoints.

Saturation patrols assign officers to a

designated area; this might include

posting officers at intersections along

a corridor, or assigning roving patrols

to an area of the city. They are a

good strategy for several law

enforcement agencies working

together because a united front is

presented. Saturation enforcement

may be achieved by re-deploying

officers on regular shifts to a

concentrated area or by bringing in

extra officers on overtime. The

purpose is to raise the perception of

risk among the public by making the

enforcement activities highly visible.

Checkpoint Advantages

• Checkpoints offer the

opportunity to make many

contacts with drivers in a short

time period

• They usually earn a great deal

of news coverage

• Occupant protection checkpoints

can be performed successfully

with as few as two to four police

officers

• Sometimes arrests are made for

other criminal offenses

• Checkpoints involving several

enforcement agencies reinforce

a unified enforcement image
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 13

Regular Patrols

Enforcement of seat belt and child

passenger safety laws should occur

also on regular patrols. During the

sTEP enforcement blitz, all officers

should emphasize safety belts. This

is particularly important for those law

enforcement agencies working in

states where belt enforcement is

secondary. Command staff and patrol

supervisors must emphasize to

officers working regular patrol that

enforcement of occupant restraint

must occur during every enforcement

contact.

Enforcement for Buckle Up NOW! in Chemung County

The two-week enforcement blitz conducted in Chemung County

(population 92,000) included the following:

• 32 seat belt checkpoints conducted throughout the county 

in a 12-day period

• At least 3 checkpoints conducted each weekday

• 823 traffic tickets written

474 seat belt citations

10 child restraint citations

236 tickets for other non-moving violations

103 citations for moving traffic violations

• 1 person arrested for DWI and 4 persons arrested for non-trafficrelated crimes
14 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate

Use Available Training

Officers working the sTEP will be

more effective and motivated if

properly trained. Several courses are

available.

NHTSA recently published a new

training curriculum for enforcement

officers named Traffic Occupant

Protection Strategies (TOPS). The

course encourages enforcement

agencies to enforce occupant

protection laws, reach out to the

community with presentations and

media messages, and have strong

seat belt agency policies that insure

high belt use among officers.

Operation Kids is a two-day workshop

developed jointly by NHTSA and the

International Association of Chiefs of

Police (IACP) It encourages officers

to take a more personal, active role in

promoting child passenger safety

through enhanced enforcement and

community education.

More advanced training in child

passenger safety is available through

a new Child Passenger Safety

Technician certification program

developed by NHTSA and

administered by AAA. The four-day

technician course deals with safe

installation of the many types of child

safety seats in vehicles with different

seat configurations and passenger

restraint systems. The course

provides technical information and

hands-on practice. An even more

rigorous “train the trainer” certification

program is available.

"Officer training is key to

implementing an effective

enforcement program. Officers

who understand seat belt and child

safety seat laws and the reasons

why enforcement is so crucial to

increasing belt use are more likely

to earnestly and effectively carry

out a seat belt enforcement

program." 

NHTSA, 2000

Each of the 10 NHTSA Regional

Offices has a Regional Law

Enforcement Liaison (LEL). The LEL

works with state highway safety

offices and local law enforcement

organizations to increase active and

visible enforcement of seat belt and

child passenger safety laws. More

information on any of these training

programs can be obtained from the

LEL in your NHTSA Regional Office.
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 15

Using Data 

Tracking the progress of the sTEP

and reporting this progress to the

community achieve a heightened

perception of risk and provide

accountability to campaign sponsors.

A sTEP program should be tracked in

four areas: seat belt use; enforcement

activity; publicity; and community

attitudes and perceptions.

Track Belt Use

Local observational surveys of seat

belt and child restraint use are integral

to conducting a sTEP. Observational

surveys determine the seat belt use

rate in the community shortly before the

campaign is kicked off and when it is

completed. These surveys give all

parties involved in the sTEP the

satisfaction that their work has

produced results.

Conducting frequent or daily

observations during the sTEP is

necessary for a feedback sign and for

news releases for frequent press

coverage during the campaign.

Routine periodic seat belt surveys can

track trends in seat belt use, and signal

the need for another wave of special

enforcement. Documentation of the

need for special enforcement can be

helpful both in securing funding to do it

and in garnering the necessary

community support to do it well.

Since seat belt use frequently varies by

location, sampling a sufficient number

of vehicles at each of multiple locations

is essential. 

When conducting observational

surveys: 

• Conduct surveys exactly the same

way each time, using the same

locations, directions of travel, days

of the week, and times of day 

• Train observers in the field and

provide them with a detailed

schedule, a set of procedures, and

easy-to-use reporting forms

Typically, observers check the belt use

of front seat occupants only, or in some

cases, only drivers. It may be useful,

however, to collect other information

like child safety seat use, occupant

characteristics, and vehicle type. Care

should be taken, though, to limit the

amount of information to that which an

observer can record accurately during

the brief observation of each vehicle.

Observations of 100 vehicles at each of

several locations can be accomplished

very quickly in locations with a constant

flow of traffic. 

Track Enforcement Activity

It is useful to track and report

enforcement results such as citations

for seat belt and child passenger safety

violations, citations for other motor

vehicle offenses, and criminal arrests.

The number of vehicles passing

through checkpoints, dedicated patrol

hours, and number of officers

participating also document the effort. 

Track Publicity

Tracking public information and

education activity will indicate what

resources were used and how widely

the sTEP program reached.

Newspaper clippings, number of

television, and radio mentions are some

activities that can be tracked. 
16 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate

Track Attitudes and Perceptions

Public opinion surveys can identify

what was most effective in reaching

the public, determine longer-term

shifts in attitudes and beliefs, and

measure the level of community

support for enforcement. Selfreported seat belt use rates can be

informative, particularly as they reveal

characteristics of groups with low seat

belt usage and the reasons for not

using seat belts. This knowledge can

be helpful in defining and targeting

educational efforts.

Post-Enforcement Publicity

A press event at the end of a sTEP

program is the ideal way to announce

the successes of your sTEP program

to the community. Gather the law

enforcement officers, community

leaders, media, and the public to

share in the success.

Acknowledgement

It is important to recognize the efforts

of everyone that helped and to honor

those who made outstanding

contributions. It is especially

gratifying to law enforcement officers

to know that their efforts to enforce

the seat belt laws make a positive

contribution to the safety of the

community. It encourages officers to

continue enforcement of the law on

their daily patrols, long after the

special enforcement period is over.
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 17

Timing sTEPs

Many states have chosen to run

sTEPs spaced about three months

apart. Seat belt use rates generally

increase with each successive sTEP,

but the amount of improvement

diminishes as more and more sTEPs

are conducted. Apparently, special

enforcement becomes less "special"

when repeated frequently. For some

enforcement agencies, some sTEP

coordinators participating in the

NHTSA-funded demonstration

program noted that as quarterly

waves progressed, it became

increasingly difficult to obtain good

media coverage.

There is no scientific evidence that

less frequent repetitions of sTEPs are

more efficient or effective than

quarterly repetitions. Still, less

frequent, but more intensive, sTEPs –

with more consistent routine seat belt

enforcement between sTEPs – may

yield more "bang for the buck" in

terms of increased seat belt usage.

Although the publicity and

enforcement efforts in the Buckle Up

NOW sTEP in Elmira lasted only three

weeks, planning and preparing the

publicity materials began several

months before the program kick-off. 

Timeline of Events Elmira

6/15/99 Hold initial meeting on roles and 

responsibilities, funding, overall 

program goals

7/15 Finalize roles and responsibilities, overall 

schedule, program elements and contract 

with a public relations firm

8/2 Specify media mix to carry theme

8/10 Develop campaign theme

8/11 Meet with enforcement agencies to 

discuss enforcement plan and agency roles

8/16 Schedule pre-program presentations to 

service organizations, editorial boards, 

and other community groups

8/20 Write copy for news releases, mock 

tickets, banners, print ads, radio ads, 

posters, magnetic car door signs, 

fact-sheets

8/27 Establish relationships with participating 

law enforcement agencies for overtime 

services

9/1 Create media schedules specifying media 

mix and placement of advertisements

9/17 Book all paid time (radio) and space (print),

schedule enforcement including 

overtime coordinated across all agencies, 

and develop earned publicity plan

9/24 Pre-program presentations to community 

groups

9/24 Produce mock ticket pieces, banners, print 

ads, radio ads, posters, car door signs

9/30 Conduct baseline belt use observations

10/1 Begin daily belt use observations for feed 

back signs

10/4 Hold initial press conference, distribute 

mock tickets, hang banners and posters, 

begin advertising and publicity, and unveil 

feedback signs

10/11 Begin enforcement, hold media event to 

highlight enforcement kickoff, monitor belt 

use rates and number of tickets issued

10/22 Achieve 90% Belt Use

10/25 Announce results to press, thank all 

participants
18 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate

Overall Statewide Effort

Community sTEPs are a powerful tool

for increasing seat belt use. However,

they are most effective when

conducted within the context of a

statewide comprehensive occupant

restraint program. 

In developing a comprehensive

program, states should consider that

statewide belt use rates are related

both to the state's belt use law and to

enforcement of that law. Higher belt

use rates are associated with: 

• Primary laws versus secondary

laws

• Laws that cover trucks, vans, and

utility vehicles versus laws that

cover only passenger cars

• Laws that provide higher fines

• Higher levels of ticketing 

sTEP enforcement is most effective

within a state that has a strong

primary enforcement law. sTEPs are

used successfully in secondary

enforcement situations, but intensive

and direct publicity about enforcement

is even more critical in increasing the

perception of risk. Alerting the public

that the police will be issuing seat belt

citations at every stop will send the

message that seat belts are important.

sTEP programs can raise belt use

rates more substantially and more

quickly than any other currently

available program. sTEP enforcement

should be coordinated with ongoing

statewide “wave” programs and with

national buckle-up activities to boost

statewide belt usage. sTEPs still will

require substantial resources

deployed within a defined community.

In developing a statewide occupant

restraint use plan, states should

consider implementing sTEP

programs in well-defined communities

that are committed to taking a high

visibility, proactive approach to belt

use and are willing to continue seat

belt enforcement between special

programs. 
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 19

Appendices
20 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate

Appendix A - Sample Seat Belt Survey Directions

• Each observation session is one hour. The schedule will allow fifteen minutes to move

from one observation site to the next. During each session, you will observe traffic at a

designated intersection. You will be given a daily schedule and a set of maps; the daily

schedule will tell you the day of week, time of day, location, and direction of traffic to

observe (north/south or east/west). It is critically important that you follow the schedule

each day. It is equally important to re-visit each designated location at the same time of

day. Therefore, plan ahead and follow a schedule each time you do a survey.

Each session is divided into two 30-minute segments. As designated in the schedule,

during the first 30 minutes you will observe traffic moving either north or east, and during the second 30-minute segment you will observe traffic moving either south or west. 

The following procedures will be used in conducting belt use observations:

• Eligible vehicles must have only four tires. Exclude vehicles with more than four tires;

emergency vehicles; any vehicles with mounted colored lights; government vehicles or

taxis.

• As shown on your site map, at each intersection you will observe traffic going north/east

and south/west. You will observe only the traffic in the lane nearest you. 

• When the light is red, observe as many stopped vehicles as possible, walking down the

line of stopped vehicles to conduct the observations. Begin with the first vehicle in the

nearest lane, and then move to the second vehicle, the third, etc., until the light

changes. 

• When the light is green, you will be given a reference point (noted on your map) to

choose the vehicles to observe. To begin the observations when the light turns green,

select the first vehicle passing the reference point to observe. When that vehicle has

been observed and the information recorded, select the next vehicle passing the reference point, etc. 

• Observe all drivers. Also observe front-seat passengers 7 years old or older. Do not

observe passengers who are six years old or younger or children riding in child safety

seats. Use your best judgment to estimate a child's age. If unsure of passenger belt

use, place a question mark in a passenger box for that observation.

• Observe shoulder belt use only; do not observe use of lap belts

• Indicate observed belt use with a checkmark for “Y” (yes), “N” (no), or “I” (incorrect). “I”

(incorrect) is used if the belt is behind the person's back or under the person's arm. 

• Following the daily schedule, observe 100 vehicles or 30 minutes, whichever comes

first, on the north or east side of the street. Then cross to other side of the street and

observe the south or west traffic, observing 100 vehicles or 30 minutes, whichever

comes first. 

• Observations should be conducted in light rain or drizzle, but not a hard rain or downpour. If it rains during the scheduled observations but later clears up, conduct the

observations later in the day but be careful to note the time change and reason on the

data forms.
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 21

Appendix A - Sample Seat Belt Survey Data Collection Form

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YN I

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PASSENGER

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Circle Direction

Observed

N S E W

DRIVER SEAT BELT OBSERVATION FORM

Location:Observer(s):Start Time:

Survey Date:

End Time:
22 sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate

Appendix A - Sample sTEP Enforcement Activity Report Form

Host Agency: _______________________________________________

Contact Person: _____________________________ Phone: ____________

Enforcement Information

Type of Enforcement: ________________________________________________

(e.g., Checkpoint, Saturation, Other)

Date of Activity: ____________ Start Time: ____________ End Time: ____________

Location: _______________________________________________________

Participating Agencies: Number of Officers/Officer Hours: 

____________________________________ ______________/____________

____________________________________ ______________/____________

____________________________________ ______________/____________

Please describe significant incidents, including any non-traffic arrests, resulting from checkpoint.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Number Persons

Violations Number Tickets Arrested

Seat Belt

Child Restraint

Speed

Other Moving Violations

Non-Moving Violations

DWI/DWAI - Related

Non-Traffic Misdemeanor

Non-Traffic Felony
sTEPs to Achieving a High Belt Use Rate 23

Appendix B - NHTSA Resources

Regional Administrators

REGION I (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)

Volpe National Transportation Systems

Center

Kendall Square, Code 903

Cambridge, MA 02142

Phone 617/494-3427

Fax 617/494-3646

REGION II (NY, NJ, PR, VI)

222 Mamaroneck Avenue, Suite 204

White Plains, NY 10605

Phone 914/682-6162

Fax 914/682-6239

REGION III (DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV)

10 South Howard Street

Suite 4000

Baltimore, MD 21201

Phone 410/962-0077

Fax 410/962-2770

REGION IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, 

SC, TN)

Atlanta Federal Center

Suite 17T30

Atlanta, GA 30303

Phone 404/562-3739

Fax 404/562-3763

REGION V (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI)

19900 Governors Drive Suite 201

Olympia Fields, IL 60461

Phone 708/503-8822

Fax 708/503-8991

REGION VI (AR, LA, NM, OK,

INDIAN NATIONS)

819 Taylor Street, Room 8A38

Fort Worth, TX 76102-6177

Phone 817/334-3653

Fax 817/334-8339

REGION VII (IA, KS, MO, NE)

6301 Rockhill Road, Room 100

Kansas City, MO 64131

Phone 816/822-7233

Fax 816/822-2069

REGION VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY)

555 Zang Street, 4th Floor

Lakewood, CO 80228

Phone 303/969-6917

Fax: 303/969-6294

REGION IX (AZ, CA, HI, NV, AMERICAN

SAMOA, GUAM, NORTHERN MARIANA

ISLANDS)

201 Mission Street, Suite 2230

San Francisco, CA 94105

Phone 415/744-3089

Fax 415/744-2532

REGION X (AK, ID, OR, WA)

3140 Jackson Federal Building

915 Second Street

Seattle, WA 98174

Phone 206/220-7640

Fax 206/220-7651

Federal Resources

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

400 Seventh Street, SW

Washington, DC 20590

Phone 800/424-9393 (Auto Safety Hotline)

Web site http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov