Buckling Up Technologies to Increase Seat Belt Use -- Special Report 278 (2004) / Chapter Skim
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4 Current Experience with Seat Belt Use Technologies
4 Current Experience with Seat Belt Use Technologies
Pages 53-78
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From page 53... ...
The effectiveness and acceptability of new enhanced belt reminder systems and other in-vehicle technologies to increase belt use currently being introduced on a voluntary basis by the automobile industry are re viewed in this chapter. The information is drawn from briefings to the study committee by key automobile manufacturers, a literature review, and the results of interviews and focus groups conducted by NHTSA specifically for the present study.
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From page 54... ...
market. All first-generation enhanced belt reminder systems deployed or under development for the U.S.
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From page 55... ...
The BeltMinder is currently available for the driver on all Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models and has been introduced for front-seat passengers on selected MY 2003 Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models. DaimlerChrysler belt reminder system: After the 4- to 8-second NHTSA-required reminder, the DaimlerChrysler system resumes a steady warning light if the driver is still not buckled.
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From page 56... ...
Toyota belt reminder system: After the 4- to 8-second NHTSA required reminder, the Toyota system resumes with a flashing light and mild buzzer for 10 seconds if the driver remains unbuckled and the vehicle is moving at more than 9 mph (14.5 km/h)
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From page 57... ...
The European specifications have been incorporated in the Euro pean New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) , a consumer safety in formation program modeled on NHTSA's NCAP.9 As an incentive to industry, EuroNCAP offers manufacturers up to 3 points out of a total of 37 -- the difference between a four-star and the top five-star rating of European automobiles -- for seat belt reminder systems that meet cer tain minimum performance criteria (see Box 4-2)
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From page 58... ...
. Auditory signal loudness: The auditory signal should be at least 65 dB, should be loud and clear under normal driving conditions, and should become increasingly aggressive the longer the seat belt remains unfastened.
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From page 59... ...
Permanent disconnection may be available to the owner on demand, but the information should not be provided in the owner's manual. Interlock Systems The 1970s experience with interlock systems still influences technology decisions by the automobile manufacturers for the sale of vehicles in the U.S.
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From page 60... ...
For example, the experience with alco hol ignition interlocks has been encouraging. The devices can be effective in reducing impaired driving by convicted offenders.
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From page 61... ...
In fact, one company suggested that NHTSA should take responsibility for collecting data on the effectiveness of different enhanced belt reminder systems in getting motorists to buckle up, particularly those involved in crashes. Manufacturers' Market Research The manufacturers who briefed the committee provided some limited company-sponsored market research on consumer acceptability of
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From page 62... ...
Yet, only 35 percent reported that they wanted a rear-seat belt reminder system in their next vehicle. After the December meeting, a January 2001 Ford Motor Company telephone survey of approximately 1,200 owners of Ford passenger cars, SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks -- with and without the Ford BeltMinder -- was made available to the committee.
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From page 63... ...
The first study, conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in coop eration with Ford Motor Company, provided an initial evaluation of the Ford BeltMinder and found preliminary evidence that the technology is encouraging increased belt use (Williams et al.
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From page 64... ...
International Research Studies No field studies could be found outside the United States on the effec tiveness of enhanced belt reminder systems that meet EuroNCAP spec ifications. A Swedish study (Bylund and Björnstig 2001)
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From page 65... ...
of 10 percent for the BeltMinder-like system (slightly higher than the 7 percent belt usage increase found by the IIHS study) , 20 percent for the somewhat more complex reminder system, and between 30 and 40 percent for the complex design (Fildes et al.
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From page 66... ...
. When asked their reaction to a law that would require a reminder system that gets louder or brighter, an ignition interlock, or a radio in terlock, 53 percent of all respondents and 47 percent of part-time users and nonusers strongly or somewhat favored the reminder system.
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From page 67... ...
. The interviews, which were conducted individually and in person, were targeted primarily at self-reported part-time users -- the largest nonuser group.
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From page 68... ...
. The belt reminder systems were presented in the form of two short video clips; the interlock systems were described on two storyboards.17 Initially, the respondents discussed their opinions about seat belts and the reasons and circumstances affecting their use (see Chapter 2 for re sults)
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From page 69... ...
NESSE V Saab Prototype Belt Reminder TRUSI (Speed dependent) REMINDERS IN Ford BeltMinder-Type System (Intermittent chime)
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From page 70... ...
2003, 89) Intermittent chime and flashing symbol (Ford BeltMinder-type system)
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From page 71... ...
Of the two reminder systems, respondents were more likely to rate the Ford BeltMinder as acceptable (71 percent versus 56 percent for the Saab system) but were also somewhat less likely to rate it effective com pared with the more insistent Saab system (78 percent versus 83 per cent)
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From page 72... ...
1890-05_CH04.qxd 2/10/04 2:59 PM Page 72 8 4 3 0 88 97 01 2 6 88 81 77 Interlock Transmission "accept "effective" and and Group 27 13 61 34 14 52 42 41 6 63 30 65 Interlock acceptable" effective" User Entertainment by very" "very ry. 7 9 6 9 7 and Saab 10 83 86 84 18 12 70 ratings catego 9 0 0 of ratingsfo Ford 12 78 14 12 74 30 12 59 100 rating Overall sum sum by the the is is breakdown Technology, Effectiveness effective effective effective effective by "effective" "acceptable" Not Neutral Effective Not Neutral Effective Not Neutral Effective Not Neutral Effective 2)
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From page 73... ...
Ratings by User Group The responses of different user groups, espe cially part-time users, were of particular interest to the committee be cause they are the primary group to which the technologies are directed. Nearly two-thirds of part-time users rated the belt reminder systems acceptable (64 percent for the Ford BeltMinder and 60 percent for the Saab system)
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From page 74... ...
Quantitative results were not available for these questions, but a summary of the responses provided in the NHTSA report suggests that most participants were supportive of the idea of mandating seat belt reminder systems and interlocks (Bentley et al.
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From page 75... ...
Enhanced belt reminder systems are also being in troduced in Europe, where belt use rates are higher, and incentives are being offered to manufacturers through the EuroNCAP program to im prove vehicle consumer safety ratings by providing systems that meet certain performance criteria. No automobile manufacturer, either in the United States or abroad, is providing vehicles with interlock systems as original equipment, targeted to the general consumer.
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From page 76... ...
In sum, the data available to date provide strongly converging evi dence in support of both the potential effectiveness and consumer ac ceptance of many new seat belt use technologies, particularly enhanced belt reminder systems. Despite limitations in the individual studies, sur veys, and other pieces of evidence that are spelled out in the present re port, the fact that findings from such a diverse set of information sources converge on this core conclusion is extremely important.
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From page 77... ...
As more con sumers actually experience the systems, attitudes may differ from those expressed in interviews, where respondents could only be given general explanations or visual presentations of how the systems work. The converging evidence of the effectiveness and consumer accep tance of enhanced belt reminder systems is favorable.
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From page 78... ...
2002. Effectiveness of Ford's Belt Reminder System in Increasing Seat Belt Use.
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