SEAT BELT AND MOTORCYCLE HELMET SURVEY

Transcription

1 SEAT BELT AND MOTORCYCLE HELMET SURVEY Prepared for: The Office of Highway Safety Division of Public Safety Planning Mississippi Department of Public Safety Prepared by: J.W. Landrum Observational Survey Laboratory David R. Parrish, Daniel Suddoth, Lexi Vaughn, and Hamilton Kammer

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3 CONTENTS Introduction Seat Belt Survey Methodology Section One Pre-campaign observational seat belt results Section Two Post-campaign observational seat belt results Section Three Click it or ticket countermeasures Section Four Belt use before and after intervention Section Five County assessments Section Six Motorcycle helmet use Summary

4 INTRODUCTION The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that there were 32,675 motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States in This estimate represents a minor 0.1 percent decrease from the previous year s fatality count of 32,719. This staggering estimate is a constant reminder that fatal crashes have claimed many lives over the years and continue to claim on average about 90 lives each and every day in the United States. In terms of a rate estimate, NHTSA calculates a national rate of 1.08 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in. 1 Vehicle safety is a major component in all aspects of vehicle and road designs. However, it is the behavior of the driver and passengers with respect to belt use that ultimately determines the probability of survival in most vehicle crashes. A great number of fatalities may have been avoided if proper vehicle restraints had been used at the time of the crashes. NHTSA estimates the use of seat belts by passenger vehicle occupants age 5 and older saved 12,584 lives in alone. 2 NHTSA reports Mississippi s traffic fatality rate as fatalities per 100,000 population. The Mississippi rate was almost twice the national average of This disturbing fatality rate continues to be realized by the 613 lives lost in Mississippi in. 3 Although significant increases have been observed in seat belt usage since the primary law was passed, the loss of life due to automobile crashes in Mississippi is still unacceptable. Perhaps one contributing factor to this loss of life could be attributed to the state continuing to lag behind several other states in occupant protection practices and likewise, the belt use national average. Mississippi had an estimated 78.3% seat belt usage rate in The national average was 87%. In 2014, only 6 states had a lower belt usage rate than Mississippi Arkansas at 74.4%, Massachusetts at 76.6%, Montana at 74%, New Hampshire at 70.4%, South Dakota at 68.9%, and Virginia at 77.3%. Over the past several years, Mississippi has climbed from near the bottom of the national rankings to a much more positive seat belt usage rate very close to the national average and back down close to the bottom again. It should also be noted that of all the 34 states (includes Washington D.C.) with a primary seat belt law, Mississippi only ranked higher than one state, Arkansas, in observed belt use. 4 1 NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic in 2014; May 2014 (DOT HS ) 2 NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Occupant Protection; March 2014 (DOT HS ) 3 NHTSA State Traffic Data Mississippi: September 2015 ( ) 4 NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts - Seat Blet Use in Use Rates in the States and Territories - June 2014 (DOT HS ) 4

5 For the past twelve years, Mississippi has participated in a major effort conducted under the term Click It or Ticket (CIOT), during Memorial Day mobilizations. These efforts have been an attempt to increase seat belt awareness and use by implementing a number of phases. In 2015, the first of these phases was an earned media phase including public service announcements, brochures, and newspaper articles that were introduced to the Mississippi public. After two weeks of earned media, an extensive paid media campaign began (second phase). Lastly, a statewide law enforcement blitz (third phase) increased the intensity of seatbelt law enforcement throughout the state. All law enforcement agencies participated in this increased level of enforcement by using safety checkpoints and saturated patrolling efforts. In 2015, two observational seat belt surveys were conducted by the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University. One survey was conducted prior to media and law enforcement intervention. This pre-campaign survey was a subsample of the recently NHTSA-approved survey design that contains the official sample for the 2015 post-campaign survey. This pre-ciot survey consisted of 54 sites in 8 counties. The follow-up or post-campaign survey in 2015 utilized the full 173 site, 16 county survey sample. This is the third year the approved sample was utilized to provide the official, statewide seat belt estimate for Mississippi. DESCRIPTION OF SECTIONS This report will be divided into six sections. Section One present results from the pre-campaign observational survey of 54 sites in 8 counties. Section Two shows results of the post-campaign and official statewide 2015 Mississippi observational seat belt survey from 173 sites in 16 counties. Section Three illustrates the media and enforcement efforts orchestrated by the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety. Section Four compares estimated seat belt usages among the 2014 statewide survey, 2015 baseline survey, and 2015 statewide survey. Section Five displays the most current county assessments including demographics, crash fatalities, and enforcement. Section Six summarizes motorcycle helmet use. 5

6 SEAT BELT SURVEY METHODOLOGY The seat belt and motorcycle survey for Mississippi uses a multistage area probability approach. In the first stage, an appropriate number of sampling units are randomly selected. The primary sampling unit for the Mississippi survey is the county. The counties with the least amount of crash-related occupant fatalities, approximately the bottom 15%, are excluded from the sampling process. The survey was conducted in 16 Mississippi Counties which comprised 35% of the State s crash-related occupant fatalities between 2005 and Special thanks to Preusser Research Group (PRG) for their assistance in the development of this methodology and continuing technical expertise. Further details on the sampling methodology of the survey can be found in the document PROPOSAL FOR MISSISSIPPI OBSERVATIONAL SURVEYS OF SAFETY BELT ANDMOTORCYCLE HELMET USE prepared by William A. Leaf (PRG), David. R. Parrish (SSRC), and Mark G. Soloman (PRG). This methodology was approved by NHTSA in 2011 and can be obtained from the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University, Box 5287 Mississippi State, MS 39762, or by contacting Mr. David Parrish at (662) or david.parrish@ssrc.msstate.edu. 6

7 SUMMARY OF SAMPLING METHODOLOGY A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L. M. N. O. Five counties were selected as certainty counties because of having crash-related occupant fatalities (and likewise population) much larger than other Mississippi Counties. These counties also comprise nearly 21 percent of the state s crash-related occupant fatalities. The certainty counties were DeSoto, Harrison, Hinds, Jackson, and Rankin. Twenty-nine counties, whose combined crash-related occupant fatalities accounted for about 15% of the state s population, were eliminated from the sampling frame. Sampling was done without replacement. In addition to the five certainty counties, 11 other counties were chosen, thus the sample consists of 16 counties. The sample includes 173 forty-five minute observation periods at 173 pseudo-randomly chosen road segment locations. Each road segment within a county was randomly chosen with probability of being chosen proportionate to the DVMT of the road segment. The five certainty counties were allotted 15 observation periods, while the remaining 11 counties were allotted either 10 or 8 observation periods each. The qualifying route segments comprising the sampling population are identified from the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) Roadway Characteristics File. The route segments from each of the survey counties are stratified into the following 5 groupings using MDOT functional classification data: (1) Interstates and Other Expressways, (2) Other Principal Arterials, (3) Minor Arterials and (4) Collectors (5) Local Roads For a given county, segments were pseudo-randomly chosen from each of the five strata. For each certainty county, the 15 sites were grouped by proximity into two clusters of 7 and 8 sites. For each of the other 11 counties, clusters of 5 or 8 were selected depending on the presence or requirement to survey all road classifications (A minimum of 2 road segments per road classification was satisfied.) For each cluster a day of the week was randomly chosen. All days of the week were eligible for selection. Once a site was assigned a day of the week, observation times between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. were randomly chosen in 1 hour and 15 minute increments. Direction of observation was randomly assigned for all 173 sites. Observers were instructed to observe from a site using the assigned direction for a period of 45 minutes. The sampling frame includes counting all passenger vehicles, sports utility vehicles, vans and pickup trucks. Other vehicles, such as large buses, larger trucks and farm equipment are excluded from observation. One observer is used at each observation site and the shoulder belt use/nonuse of all front seat, outboard occupants of qualifying vehicles is recorded on forms supplied by the SSRC. 7

8 SECTION ONE PRE-CAMPAIGN OBSERVATIONAL SEAT BELT RESULTS Prior to any media or law enforcement efforts encouraging seat belt usage, a 2015 baseline or mini survey was conducted. This survey was administered with intentions of establishing a seat belt usage rate before the CIOT campaign. Observations from 54 sites in 8 counties made up the baseline survey. The 54-site sample was a subsample of the larger statewide survey, which is detailed in Section Two of this report. Figure 1: Pre-CIOT Survey Counties DeSoto Harrison Lee Leflore Madison Perry Pike Rankin 8 sites 7 sites 5 sites 8 sites 5 sites 8 sites 5 sites 8 sites The data from this baseline survey was collected between April 4 and April 23, The counties in the mini survey were hand-picked from the statewide sample with the intention of including a mixture of different geographical regions where both rural and urban counties are represented. The 2015 mini survey sample is identical to the sample in and

9 Table 1: Baseline Seat Belt Usage Rates by Type of Vehicle Baseline Survey of 54 Sites in 8 Counties Table 1 shows the baseline belt use figures for driver and outside front seat passenger by type of vehicle observed. The overall usage rate for the baseline survey was 82.0%. Sports Utility Vehicle occupants topped the percent belted ranks with an estimated belt use Type of Vehicle Occupants Observed Percent Passenger Car 2, % Pickup Truck 1, % SUV 1, % Van % Total 4, % rate of 86.2%. Passenger car and van occupants exhibited higher than average belt rates at 84.2% and 82.5% respectively. Pickup truck occupants continue to exhibit the lowest belt use rates in Mississippi at 73.1%. Seat belt compliance for pickup truck occupants is a considerable problem area for Mississippi, which if addressed could result in a much higher total Mississippi belt use rate. Table 2: Baseline Seat Belt Usage Rates by County Baseline Survey of 54 Sites in 8 Counties A breakdown of seat belt usage rates by county in the pre-ciot survey (Table 2) illustrates five of the eight counties surveyed above 80% belt use, with Perry being the top-ranked at 92.1% estimated belt use. Leflore County showed the lowest estimated belt use rate in the mini survey at 63.7%. County Occupants Observed Percent DeSoto % Harrison % Lee % Leflore % Madison % Perry % Pike % Rankin % Total 4, % The 2015 baseline survey produced an overall estimated seat belt rate akin to the and 2014 baseline findings of 82.8% and 83.2% respectively. 9

10 SECTION TWO POST-CAMPAIGN OBSERVATIONAL SEAT BELT RESULTS In NHTSA directed each state to perform their respective statewide observational seat belt usage surveys according to a new criteria set forth by the federal agency s final rule in Mississippi, therefore, designed a new survey sampling methodology and began using the model in. The NHTSA-approved survey design was used as the official estimator of seat belt usage for the state in and It resulted in a 74.4% estimated statewide belt use in and 78.3% in This same design was implemented for the statewide survey in Figure 2: Post-CIOT Survey Counties Chickasaw DeSoto Hancock Harrison Hinds Holmes Jackson Lee Leflore Madison Panola Perry Pike Pontotoc Prentiss Rankin 8 sites 15 sites 10 sites 15 sites 15 sites 8 sites 15 sites 10 sites 8 sites 10 sites 10 sites 8 sites 10 sites 8 sites 8 sites 15 sites The 2015 post-campaign survey was conducted after an intense seat belt media and enforcement campaign known as Click It or Ticket during the month of May, The intentions of this survey are to quantitatively gauge how effective the campaign was received by the motoring public and to generate an official 2015 estimate of seat belt usage for the state. Figure 2 shows the counties that frame the 2015 seat belt survey. There were 173 road segments observed in 16 counties. The overall result for the 2015 Mississippi Seat Belt Survey is a 79.6% occupant seat belt usage rate with a standard error of 1.104%. The lower limit of the 95% confidence interval is 77.45% and the upper limit is 81.77%. There were 17,174 vehicle occupants observed. 10

11 Table 3: Seat Belt Usage Rates by Road Class Full Survey of 173 Sites in 16 Counties As confirmed by many previous surveys, there continues to be a trend of higher seat belt usage rates on higher traffic count roads. Table 3 shows interstates and other expressways along with other principal arterials leading the road class categories with 85.4% and 85.6% estimated belt usage rates Road Class Occupants Observed Belt Usage Rate Interstates & Other Expressways 4, % Other Principal Arterials 5, % Minor Arterials 3, % Table 4: Seat Belt Usage Rates by Vehicle Type Full Survey of 173 Sites in 16 Counties Collectors 2, % Local Roads 1, % respectively in The next level of road category, minor arterials follows with a significantly lower belt use rate of 82.1%. Collectors and local roads fell well below the 80% mark at 77.6% and 71.2% respectively. Although this is the first year since beginning to survey local roads in that local roads breached the 70% usage mark, they clearly remain to be a problem area for belt use compliance in Mississippi. Table 4 illustrates the breakdown of belt usage rates in four vehicle categories. SUV s lead the belt use categories with 85% estimated use. Passenger cars and vans were next with 83.0% and 81.1% belt use respectively. In no way was it a surprise to once again see pickup trucks as the trailing category in this breakdown. Each year pickup trucks pale in comparison to the Road Class Occupants Observed Belt Usage Rate Passenger Car/Wagon 7, % Pickup 4, % SUV 4, % Van 1, % other vehicle categories. The 73.4% estimated belt usage of pickup truck occupants is significantly lower than the other three vehicle types and the only vehicle type below 80%. The following series of tables (Tables 5-10) provides breakdowns of seat belt use rates by type of vehicle, by county, by driver/ passenger, and by gender. Unsure observations are omitted in these breakdowns, and the extent of this data-narrowing produces more specific results but is of practical use only if the number of observations is significant enough to draw conclusions. Usually the minimum number of total observations per category should be around 30 before conclusions can be drawn. Many of the figures in this series of tables may not meet this requirement. However, this in-depth breakdown can be used as a loose guide to potential specific problem areas that may deserve attention. 11

12 12 Table 5: Seat Belt Usage Rates by County - All Vehicles Full survey of 173 sites in 16 counties All types of vehicles by Driver/Passenger and Gender (N17,173) County Encouraging Observations: For the second year in a row, Harrison County is the only county to surpass the 90% mark for overall observed belt use. Perry County had the second highest overall belt use estimate at 89.3% Five counties show female passengers buckling up over 90% of the time Drivers Passengers Occupants Male Female All Male Female All All DeSoto 81.1% 84.4% 82.1% 79.9% 86.2% 85.0% 82.5% n Harrison 90.5% 93.1% 91.5% 85.4% 97.0% 92.8% 91.9% n Hinds 72.7% 85.0% 78.0% 87.2% 69.2% 81.7% 79.1% n Jackson 78.4% 87.9% 82.9% 80.7% 95.4% 86.8% 83.8% n Rankin 72.6% 78.4% 73.5% 88.0% 89.8% 89.4% 75.4% n Chickasaw 84.8% 78.8% 83.4% 84.5% 90.8% 88.7% 84.2% n Hancock 76.2% 92.4% 79.3% 89.2% 79.6% 84.6% 80.3% n Holmes 79.8% 83.7% 82.0% 66.5% 73.4% 72.7% 80.8% n Lee 80.7% 84.1% 81.8% 82.2% 89.0% 88.4% 83.2% n Leflore 64.3% 71.3% 68.0% 61.7% 85.1% 69.6% 67.9% n Madison 76.7% 84.6% 78.5% 66.2% 87.4% 76.5% 78.2% n Panola 75.0% 81.6% 77.4% 69.0% 83.3% 78.3% 77.7% n Perry 90.6% 87.1% 88.4% 92.7% 98.3% 96.8% 89.3% n Pike 79.3% 85.4% 82.1% 88.6% 92.2% 89.0% 83.7% n Pontotoc 64.2% 82.0% 72.8% 52.4% 86.2% 69.5% 72.6% n Prentiss 59.6% 71.3% 63.4% 46.7% 69.6% 63.4% 62.5% n Total 76.6% 83.3% 79.1% 76.6% 85.3% 82.1% 79.6% n Room for Improvement: Two counties (Leflore and Prentiss) illustrated disappointing overall and categorical belt use estimates below 70 percent. Male drivers in Leflore, Pontotoc, and Prentiss were observed buckled less than 65% of the time. Male passengers in Holmes, Leflore, Madison, Panola, Pontotoc and Prentiss buckled at a rate less than 70% (Prentiss only had 13 observations in this categorical breakdown). Rankin passengers are much more likely to be buckled than the county s drivers.

13 Table 6: Seat Belt Usage Rates by County - Cars + SUVS + Vans Full survey of 173 sites in 16 counties Cars + SUVs + Vans by Driver/Passenger and Gender (N12,688) County Encouraging Observations: The belt estimate without the inclusion of pickup trucks is 2.5 percentage points higher than the overall belt use estimate (82.1% compared to 79.6%). For the second year in a row, the two counties above 90% usage rate for occupants are Harrison and Perry. Drivers Passengers Occupants Male Female All Male Female All All DeSoto 81.4% 83.8% 82.5 % 83.2 % 86.2 % 86.2 % 83.2% n Harrison 92.3 % 91.1 % 91.0 % 81.3 % 97.1 % 93.7 % 91.8% n Hinds 77.2 % 85.6 % 81.7 % 92.1 % 90.6 % 92.1 % 83.1% n Jackson 85.5 % 91.5 % 89.5 % 76.3 % 99.3 % 91.8 % 89.9% n Rankin 72.8 % 78.5 % 74.1 % 90.7 % 89.3 % 90.1 % 76.4% n Chickasaw 84.6% 82.5% 84.5% 79.7% 91.2% 90.1% 84.9% n Hancock 67.4% 94.6% 72.6% 83.9% 80.2% 76.9% 73.8% n Holmes 80.3% 84.3% 83.2% 67.7% 73.6% 72.7% 81.7% n Lee 86.9% 84.2% 85.0% 84.0% 88.8% 89.4% 85.9% n Leflore 64.3% 73.4% 69.9% 73.0% 83.5% 75.9% 69.6% n Madison 88.5% 84.5% 86.9% 91.9% 86.7% 85.5% 87.1% n Panola 78.3% 82.2% 80.0% 72.2% 87.1% 82.2% 80.8% n Perry 94.3% 96.8% 95.8% 100.0% 99.6% 99.7% 96.4% n Pike 76.7% 86.4% 81.8% 88.1% 91.2% 87.9% 83.3% n Pontotoc 67.2% 82.2% 77.0% 79.4% 86.8% 81.1% 77.3% n Prentiss 58.1% 71.3% 66.0% 69.9% 64.4% 68.2% 67.6% n Total 78.5% 84.6% 81.4% 82.4% 87.3% 85.4% 82.1% n Room for Improvement: Prentiss and Leflore show belt use below 70% in this no pickup breakdown. Male drivers in Hancock, Leflore, Pontotoc and Prentiss were all belted below 70% with Prentiss drivers belted less than 60% of the time. Hancock County shows a dramatic difference in belt use between male drivers (67.4%) and female drivers (94.6%). 13

14 Table 7: Seat Belt Usage Rates by County - Passenger Cars Full survey of 173 sites in 16 counties Passenger Cars by Driver/Passenger and Gender (N7,476) County Drivers Passengers Occupants Male Female All Male Female All All DeSoto 79.3% 82.7% 80.8% 81.3% 88.4% 85.5% 81.7% n Harrison 90.8% 86.7% 85.8% 81.5% 96.4% 92.5% 86.4% n Hinds 81.7% 83.0% 82.1% 92.1% 94.4% 94.1% 83.5% n Jackson 88.2% 85.7% 86.4% 73.4% 98.4% 87.9% 87.2% n Rankin 71.4% 79.3% 74.1% 89.7% 91.9% 89.0% 76.1% n Chickasaw 79.2% 76.7% 79.4% 28.9% 86.6% 86.2% 79.2% n Hancock 73.5% 93.7% 78.4% 81.2% 78.7% 75.3% 78.0% n Holmes 79.3% 83.2% 82.4% 71.0% 80.9% 75.4% 81.5% n Lee 89.5% 83.2% 86.3% 93.5% 97.8% 97.7% 87.8% n Leflore 65.7% 79.5% 70.4% 53.5% 86.8% 70.7% 69.2% n Madison 88.7% 71.8% 83.6% 77.1% 97.5% 95.7% 85.1% n Panola 80.1% 80.1% 79.7% 67.0% 89.2% 81.6% 80.3% n Perry 95.9% 97.3% 96.6% 100.0% 99.3% 99.5% 97.1% n Pike 79.0% 85.2% 83.3% 88.9% 86.7% 87.2% 84.1% n Pontotoc 70.6% 79.6% 77.1% 82.1% 88.9% 84.4% 77.4% n Prentiss 58.1% 73.1% 65.9% 100.0% 73.2% 73.2% 67.3% n Total 79.6% 82.6% 80.8% 79.2% 89.8% 86.3% 81.4% n Encouraging Observations: Perry County claimed the top spot in the passenger car category with an impressive 97.1% belt use estimates. Harrison, Jackson, Lee and Madison counties also showed very high passenger car belt use rates above 85%. Room for Improvement: Leflore and Prentiss are the only counties to record all occupant belt use rates below 70% in this passenger car category. Madison County shows a gap between the belt use habits of female drivers (71.8%) and female passengers (97.5%). 14

15 Table 8: Seat Belt Usage Rates by County - Pickup Trucks Full survey of 173 sites in 16 counties Pickup Trucks by Driver/Passenger and Gender (N4,485) County Drivers Passengers Occupants Male Female All Male Female All All DeSoto 79.4% 92.5% 80.6% 74.6% 88.2% 78.0% 79.9% n Harrison 87.5% 100.0% 88.9% 89.3% 98.7% 92.1% 89.2% n Hinds 60.7% 74.8% 60.7% 65.7% 67.5% 50.7% 59.7% n Jackson 74.5% 75.9% 74.3% 74.5% 86.6% 82.2% 75.1% n Rankin 73.5% 86.6% 73.6% 78.3% 77.4% 78.8% 73.7% n Chickasaw 87.0% 59.1% 80.2% 83.8% 74.5% 84.3% 82.4 n Hancock 85.8% 85.1% 85.8% 98.4% 90.4% 94.0% 86.9% n Holmes 77.9% 74.8% 78.0% 57.1% 77.7% 73.6% 77.4% n Lee 73.9% 80.6% 74.2% 62.8% 78.2% 69.6% 74.3% n Leflore 65.8% 46.6% 64.5% 65.0% 100.0% 72.6% 64.8% n Madison 58.4% 91.0% 58.8% 61.8% 97.5% 64.2% 61.2% n Panola 70.5% 90.7% 71.9% 57.8% 71.6% 70.0% 71.2% n Perry 88.1% 58.9% 80.1% 86.2% 97.6% 92.8% 81.3% n Pike 83.7% 86.7% 83.1% 93.2% 100.0% 95.6% 84.7% n Pontotoc 58.3% 87.6% 60.3% 52.6% 78.7% 60.9% 61.1% n Prentiss 59.1% 52.8% 60.0% 41.1% 67.8% 40.5% 54.7% n Total 73.7% 77.7% 73.1% 71.3% 84.1% 74.4% 73.3% n Encouraging Observations: Harrison County almost breached the 90% mark in pickup belt use. Truck passengers in Harrison, Hancock, Perry and Pike were all buckled at a rate higher than 90%. In Harrison County every female driver observed in a pickup (n41) was buckled. Room for Improvement: With 4,485 observations, overall belt use in pickup trucks is only 73.3%. Five of the sixteen surveyed counties are below 70% belt usage and two of those counties (Hinds and Prentiss) are below 60%. 15

16 16 Table 9: Seat Belt Usage Rates by County - SUVs Full survey of 173 sites in 16 counties SUVs by Driver/Passenger and Gender (N4,097) County Four of the sixteen counties have overall belt use rates for SUVs over 90%. Every female passenger observed in Jackson County (n101), Leflore County (n11) and Perry County (n41) was buckled. Every passenger observed in Perry County (n52) was buckled. Drivers Passengers Occupants Male Female All Male Female All All DeSoto 86.7% 83.4% 83.4% 78.6% 93.5% 86.9% 82.8% n Harrison 94.3% 95.5% 94.7% 94.6% 95.0% 96.3% 95.1% n Hinds 74.9% 87.5% 81.2% 90.3% 80.7% 85.1% 82.2% n Jackson 87.5% 93.6% 94.3% 97.9% 100.0% 99.6% 95.8% n Rankin 77.8% 86.6% 80.4% 89.1% 88.9% 86.9% 80.2% n Chickasaw 91.5% 94.0% 93.2% 22.2% 95.8% 92.7% 92.9% n Hancock 50.8% 95.6% 60.0% 97.9% 97.1% 94.9% 62.0% n Holmes 87.6% 85.9% 88.4% 67.3% 68.1% 70.5% 82.1% n Lee 86.9% 85.6% 83.9% 87.1% 85.9% 88.3% 85.8% n Leflore 64.7% 87.9% 75.7% 93.2% 100.0% 95.6% 78.4% n Madison 92.6% 94.2% 92.8% 100.0% 68.9% 72.1% 89.4% n Panola 70.0% 88.4% 78.6% 80.8% 85.6% 84.5% 80.1% n Perry 92.5% 97.3% 95.6% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 96.3% n Pike 73.6% 89.0% 80.7% 92.3% 94.8% 93.6% 83.2% n Pontotoc 72.8% 80.2% 77.8% 76.2% 94.7% 87.6% 79.7% n Prentiss 65.5% 80.2% 68.5% 0.0% 65.1% 65.1% 70.9% n Total 79.2% 89.1% 83.0% 79.5% 87.7% 87.4% 83.5% Encouraging Observations: n Room for Improvement: Hancock County has the lowest overall belt use rate in SUVs at 62.0% and is the only county below 70%. Prentiss County narrowly breached the 70% mark in overall belt use in SUVs Hancock County shows a large gap in belt use between male and female drivers of SUVs.

17 Table 10: Seat Belt Usage Rates by County - Vans Full survey of 173 sites in 16 counties Vans by Driver/Passenger and Gender (N1,115) County Drivers Passengers Occupants Male Female All Male Female All All DeSoto 85.9% 96.4% 87.0% 96.1% 93.7% 92.0% 88.2% n Harrison 95.2% 98.9% 95.9% 73.2% 100.0% 89.2% 94.2% n Hinds 56.7% 90.9% 70.3% 94.4% 100.0% 97.8% 72.5% n Jackson 85.1% 98.0% 91.2% 43.0% 100.0% 90.2% 91.9% n Rankin 62.4% 66.1% 59.3% 100.0% 75.8% 81.0% 64.8% n Chickasaw 99.1% 97.1% 98.5% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 98.9% n Hancock 83.5% 100.0% 91.5% 72.6% 94.4% 83.6% 90.6% n Holmes 74.6% 100.0% 85.2% 50.0% 94.7% 80.4% 84.5% n Lee 78.8% 86.8% 76.7% 47.0% 78.3% 76.0% 76.3% n Leflore 56.3% 91.2% 68.3% 72.4% 13.8% 43.1% 67.7% n Madison 86.0% 87.4% 89.4% 83.1% 100.0% 95.8% 89.8% n Panola 81.8% 72.2% 84.7% 89.4% 89.4% 90.8% 85.8% n Perry 93.6% 82.6% 88.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 92.3% n Pike 76.1% 89.0% 74.7% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 78.7% n Pontotoc 68.3% 92.7% 75.0% 69.6% 71.1% 71.7% 72.6% n Prentiss 53.9% 69.9% 48.4% 0.0% 77.2% 62.2% 50.3% n Total 76.8% 88.7% 80.0% 74.6% 87.1% 84.9% 80.9% n Encouraging Observations: Although many percentages in this breakdown are based on less than 30 observations and determined not to be representative, the overall usage rate for van occupants is over 90% for five of the sixteen counties. Chickasaw County shows an impressive rate of 98.9% buckled for the 36 van occupants observed. Room for Improvement: Based on relatively small sample sizes, Rankin, Leflore and Prentiss show the most need for belt use improvement in vans. 17

18 Figure 3A: Male Usage Rates by Vehicle Type and Race Full Survey of 173 Sites in 16 Counties 100% 90% 80% 87.1% n % n % n % n % n % 60% 75.5% n % n % n % n % n % n % n % Car Pickup SUV Van Black Male Hispanic Male White Male CAR PICKUP 89.5% < 77% Both Hispanic and White female occupants of passenger cars almost breached the 90% mark. The second column in each graph shows males of all races buckling less than 77% of the time. 18 Figure 3A and Figure 3B are graphic illustrations of how well the observed population buckled up by gender, race, and type of vehicle. Figure 3A shows males, and Figure 3B shows females. Results for the vehicle occupants deemed to be Hispanic are included but the sample sizes for this population is low for most of the vehicle types within both genders. Perhaps the most distinguishable observance between the graphs is the gap between black occupants and white occupants in each vehicle category. In prior years of this survey, the estimated seat belt use among the black population lagged almost 10 percentage points behind

19 Figure 3B: Female Usage Rates by Vehicle Type and Race Full Survey of 173 Sites in 16 Counties 100% 90% 89.5% n % n % n % n % n % n % n % 70% 81.7% n % n % n % n % n % 50% Car Pickup SUV Van Black Female Hispanic Female White Female SUV VAN > 79.3% 93.8% The third column illustrates SUV belt use range from 79.3% (black males) to 91.4% (white females). White females in vans have the highest rate of belt use behavior in the state with 93.8% of the 373 observed buckling up! (The Hispanic figures are not representative of that motoring population.) whites. That gap has narrowed considerably in some cases but has grown further apart in others. The gap is least in pickup trucks and most in vans for both males and females. Graphically, it can be seen that females outperform males across the board in all vehicle types. For many years, a comparison between graphs shows females using vehicle restraints far better than males. In general, perhaps the conclusion can be drawn that females are more likely to be using a seat belt restraint in Mississippi due to their belief in compliance with the primary seat belt law or their attitude towards vehicle occupant safety. Both of which should be ideologies that transfer across gender. 19

20 20 Figure 4: Usage Rates by Race and Gender Full Survey of 173 Sites in 16 Counties Figure 4 presents an analysis of belt use broken down only by race and gender. This chart reveals that, when it comes to buckling up, males within the black and white race categories lag about 7 to 8 percentage points behind females in the same category. Likewise, Hispanic females, despite the small sample size, dwarf their male counterparts in seat belt usage, with over a 15 percentage point difference between the two. White females top the chart with 89.9% using seat belts. Hispanic females were a few percentage points behind at 87.2% usage. White males and black females buckle at almost the same rate close to the 82% mark. Black males and Hispanic males round out the list with belt usage rates of 74.9% and 71.8% respectively. 63.7% 65.4%65.6%65.9% 66.4% 64.2% 61.6% 62.0%62.0%63.2% 60.8% 58.0% 58.0% 60.0% 57.8% 58.4% 58.1% 53.3% 57.4% 54.5% 50.8% 52.3% 50.4% 51.0% 48.2% 45.6% 47.5% 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 74.9% n % Figure 5: Mississippi Usage Rates n % With 95% Confidence Interval Upper and Lower Limits ( ) Percent Belt Usage 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 87.2% 81.8% 89.9% Black Hispanic White Male 84.5% 82.4% 83.2% 80.8% 81.8% 81.0% 81.9%83.2% 77.3% 77.1% 76.0% 79.7% 80.6%81.0% 78.3% 79.6% 74.7% 76.0% 73.6% 77.5% 74.4% 73.6% 75.8% 74.8% 71.8% 71.3% 71.2% 71.7% Year 68.9%69.0% n 195 n 86 Female n 6241 n 5247 Figure 5 shows a definite upward trend of seat belt usage rates since Each year displays an official belt use rate and 95% confidence interval upper and lower limits. Since the primary seat belt law went into effect in 2006, the trend stayed relatively flat for about 3 years as can be seen by the overlapping of confidence intervals from 2006 to The rate took a significant positive jump in 2010 to 81.0% and small positive incremental increases of less than 1 percent the next couple of years. In, the introduction of a new set of sampling criteria may have contributed to a significant decrease in the belt use estimation for the state. The statewide seat belt usage estimate fell from 83.2% to 74.4% from 2012 to, and the confidence intervals do not overlap. Lastly, the 2015 statewide belt use estimate shows an increase of over 5 percentage points from s 74.4% up to 79.6%, and the upper limit of the 2015 interval is almost identical to the lower limit in Mississippi s highest recorded belt use year of 2012.

21 Figure 6: National Usage Rates and Ranks by State Source: 2014 NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts: Crash/Stats DOT HS June National Average: 87.0% Source: 2014 NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts: Crash/Stats DOT HS June % % 80.0% % 87.0% % 90.0% % Alaska 88.4% (22) Hawaii 93.5% (9) District of Columbia 93.2% (11) The map of the United States in Figure 6 has been included to offer a geographic perspective of Mississippi s peer states with regard to belt use rates in Mississippi was in the second tier (red states) in 2012, but the change in sampling criteria for and beyond has resulted in the state falling back down to the first tier (gold states) below the 80% usage mark. All states colored in gold or red had seat belt usage rates below the 2014 national average of 87%. States in the light gray or blue categories had belt use rates above the national average. The highest belt use states in the nation (above 90%) are the blue colored states, with Oregon taking the top spot at 97.8% estimated belt use. A ranking of the states in terms of belt use has also been included on the map in parentheses after their respective belt use rates (e.g. Mississippi ranked 45th in the nation in belt use in 2014). 21

22 BUCKLE UP mississippi its the law

23

24 SECTION THREE CLICK IT OR TICKET COUNTERMEASURES Sandwiched between the observational survey efforts used in determining estimated seat belt use across the state, the primary countermeasures aimed at increasing seat belt usage are conducted in Mississippi s Click It or Ticket campaign. This attempt in changing human behavior by media messaging and increased enforcement efforts has been very successful, not only in Mississippi, but throughout the nation. Media messaging is divided into the two distinct groups of earned media and paid media, and the enforcement arm of the campaign involves amplified patrols, safety checkpoints, and issuances of citations for not abiding by the state s primary seat belt law. Earned media is the use of credible third-party organizations to deliver a message to the general public. This is mainly accomplished through printed news articles, news stories on television, and radio news stories. Data received from the Mann Agency, LLC shows the earned media segment of the 2015 CIOT Memorial Blitz Campaign including 5 press conferences, 23 television news stories, 2 radio news stories broadcast from 77 stations, 46 printed news stories, and 23 printed online stories. Figure 7 shows the estimated value of this year s earned media conducted from May 4 through June Figure 7: CIOT Earned Media Estimated Values (Total: $170,146.77) TV News Stories $74, % Print Online Stories $74, % Radio News Stories $13, % Print News Stories $7, % 11, Television news stories and printed online stories tied in earned media value, both with 44% or $74, worth of estimated value each. Radio news and Printed news were dwarfed as each had 8% and 4% of the overall estimate respectively. The paid media component of the CIOT campaign was almost a $300,000 effort in Paid media is exactly as it sounds, media outlets are compensated monetarily for the use of their services to deliver a message to the general public. The use of television and radio spots, printed and online advertisements, 24

25 outdoor signage (e.g. electronic billboards and portable message boards), and advertisements in movie theaters and sports stadiums are the primary channels of delivery in paid media. Again, referencing data received from the Mann Agency, LLC, paid media during the CIOT Memorial Blitz Campaign in 2015 included 1,445 television spots, 4,969 radio spots, 2 printed advertisements, 13 online advertisements with 3,889,401 impressions, 77 outdoor signs, 260 movie theaters, and 20 stadiums. Figure 8 illustrates the breakdown of funds used to distribute the CIOT message to the general public in Mississippi from May 11 through May 25, Television and outdoor ads made the bulk of the payouts with a combined 63% of the overall investment. The remaining 37% was a mixture of radio, online, print, theater and stadium ads. It should be noted that online advertisements made almost 4 million impressions on just 9% of the expenditures. Figure 8: CIOT Paid Media Values (Total: $297,458.58) TV Ads $121, % Movie Theaters & Stadiums $32, % Radio Ads $47, % Online Ads $27, % Outdoor Ads $67, % Print Ads $1, % The last and perhaps most critical component of the CIOT campaign is enforcement of the primary seat belt law. High visibility patrols and safety checkpoints by law enforcement agencies across the state were conducted from May 18 to May 31, These efforts allow the general public to see the consequences of choosing not to follow the primary seat belt law. A $25 citation is administered to the driver for each unbelted occupant in the front seat of a vehicle. 25

26 The most complete data available at the time of this report is 2014 enforcement data, and according to those data obtained from the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety, there were 35,780 seat belt citations written by municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies in Figure 9 shows how the number of seat belt violations recorded in 2014 compares to the previous 14 years. Figure 9: Number of Seat Belt Violations Recorded ( ) Source: Mississippi Office of Highway Safety Belt Violations 50,000 40,000 41,298 44,317 44,505 41,795 38,923 38,092 35,780 Reported Seat 30,000 20,000 33,363 Number of 10,000 15, ,037 1,249 1,495 2,405 3,771 Year 26

27 Special thanks to the Mann Agency, LLC, for providing data pertaining to the earned and paid media efforts during the Click It or Ticket Memorial Day Blitz Campaign. 27

28 SECTION FOUR BELT USE BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION Since 2012 seat belt observational surveys have been conducted based on the same sampling criteria set forth by NHTSA. In Table 11 below, the follow-up or post-ciot survey in 2014 is compared to the follow-up survey of Also, the mini survey of 2015, which is performed before CIOT in selected counties, is compared to the 2015 follow-up survey results. As stated previously, the mini survey uses observations from 54 sites in 8 counties and each follow-up includes 173 sites from 16 counties. Table 11: Baseline Versus Follow-Up County Comparisons Seat Belt Usage Rates by County *Mini 2015 results are unweighted Percent Percent Percent 2014 County Change Change Follow-Up 2015 Mini* 2015 Follow-Up A B C A to C B to C Chickasaw 68.4% % 15.8% - DeSoto 86.5% 86.2% 82.5% -4.0% -3.7% Hancock 83.2% % -2.9% - Harrison 90.3% 87.7% 91.9% 1.6% 4.2% Holmes 74.5% % 6.3% - Hinds 71.9% % 7.2% - Jackson 85.2% % -1.4% - Lee 70.3% 74.4% 83.2% 12.9% 8.8% Leflore 67.4% 63.7% 67.9% 0.5% 4.2% Madison 86.0% 88.1% 78.2% -7.8% -9.9% Panola 77.9% % -0.2% - Perry 85.2% 92.1% 89.3% 4.1% -2.8% Pike 84.0% 82.5% 83.7% -0.3% 1.2% Pontotoc 75.5% % -2.9% - Prentiss 71.7% % -9.2% - Rankin 78.7% 78.2% 75.4% -3.3% -2.8% Total 78.3% 82.0% 79.6% 1.3% -2.4% The survey results of 2014 were much more encouraging than that of. In 2014, an overall buckled rate of 78.3% was significantly higher than the 74.4% of. Thanks to successful media and enforcement campaigns over the years, the trend of higher observed belt use continued in 2015 with a 79.6% overall estimated belt use in Mississippi. As can be seen in Table 11, the overall result of the 2015 statewide survey was 1.3 percentage points higher than the year before. In comparing the follow-ups surveys from 2014 (A) to 2015 (C), major positive differences can 28

29 be seen in Chickasaw (+15.8%), Holmes (+6.3%), Hinds (+7.2%) and Lee (+12.9%) counties, presumably due to an increased effort in media and enforcement in these areas of the state. The only significant drops in belt use from 2014 to 2015 came from Madison (-7.8%) and Prentiss (-9.2%). All other differences among the counties surveyed were less than 5% in either a positive or negative direction. These differences are considered to be due to normal fluctuations and of minimal impact. Comparing the mini 2015 (B) to the follow-up 2015 (C) is intended to gauge the impact of the CIOT campaign from before implementation to after the completion of media and enforcement activities. However, since the mini survey is a subsample of 54 sites, the comparison is not exactly equitable. The percent change between belt use estimations show many insignificant increases or decreases over the campaign period. The comparison of the overall belt use estimates shows a decrease of 2.4% in estimated belt usage from pre-ciot to post-ciot. Of the 8 counties compared, there were two outliers. Madison County, which has shown volatile rates in the past few years, exhibited a 9.9% drop in estimated belt use from the mini (88.1%) to the follow-up (78.2%). On the other end of the spectrum is the second outlier, and a positive outlier it is. Lee County which has consistently exhibited belt use rates in the low 70% range over the last few years, jumped up almost 9 percentage points from the mini (74.4%) to the follow-up (83.2%). Table 12: Road Class Comparisons Seat Belt Usage Rates by Road Class *Mini 2015 results are unweighted Percent Percent Percent 2014 County Change Change Follow-Up 2015 Mini* 2015 Follow-Up Interstates & Other Expressways Other Principal Arterials A B C A to C B to C 85.9% 86.6% 85.4% -0.5% -1.2% 85.2% 83.4% 85.6% 0.4% 2.2% Minor Arterials 80.6% 79.2% 82.1% 1.5% 2.9% Collectors 74.8% 80.8% 77.6% 2.8% -3.2% Local Roads 69.5% 76.1% 71.2% 1.7% -4.9% Comparing before and after belt usage rates by road classification is presented in Table 12. All but one of the rate differences from the 2014 Follow-up (A) to the 2015 Follow-up (C) are positive, which is a very good indicator that seat belt awareness campaigns and enforcement has had positive impact on behavioral change. Interstates & other expressways show only a slight decrease of half a percent. The largest change was a 2.8% increase in belt usage observed on collector roads. When comparing the 2014 Mini (B) to the 2014 Follow-up (C), the changes were more pronounced, with the lowest classes of roads having the largest negative variation. Collector roads showed a 3.2% drop, while local roads experienced a 4.9% drop in belt use. 29

30 Table 13: Vehicle Type Comparisons Seat Belt Usage Rates by Vehicle Type Vehicle Percent 2014 Follow-Up 2015 Mini* 2015 Follow-Up *Mini 2015 results are unweighted Percent Change Percent Change A B C A to C B to C Car/Wagon 81.7% 85.2% 81.4% -0.3% -3.8% Pickup 71.7% 73.1% 73.3% 1.6% 0.2% SUV 81.8% 86.2% 83.5% 1.7% -2.7% Van 85.4% 82.5% 80.9% -4.5% -1.6% Table 13 illustrates, from the 2014 Follow-up (A) to the 2015 Follow-up (C), the belt use rates for vans varied the most over the year. Vans showed a 4.5% decrease in belt use from 2014 to The increases in observed belt use for pickup trucks and SUV s is notable at 1.6% and 1.7% respectively, and the slight decrease of 0.3% in passenger cars is negligible. Comparison of the 2014 Mini (B) to the 2014 Follow-up (C) paints a much different picture than comparing the follow-ups. Pickup trucks belt use rates remained relatively the same, but the other three vehicle types show notable negative differences. These negative differences can most likely be attributed to the samples not being the same. Again, the mini is a subset of the statewide or follow-up survey, and the negative percent changes are not considered to reflect the impact of the CIOT campaign. Table 14: Baseline Versus Follow-Up Race/Gender Comparisons Seat Belt Usage Rates by Race and Gender *All results are unweighted Percent Percent Percent 2014 Race/Gender Change Change Follow-Up* 2015 Mini* 2015 Follow-Up* A B C A to C B to C Black Female 81.8% 83.3% 81.9% 0.1% -1.4% Black Male 73.6% 72.5% 74.9% 1.3% 2.4% Hispanic Female 94.5% 84.6% 87.2% -7.3% 2.6% Hispanic Male 77.6% 72.2% 71.8% -5.8% -0.4% White Female 89.2% 89.8% 89.9% 0.7% 0.1% White Male 80.8% 79.0% 81.8% 1.0% 2.8% In Table 14 the comparison of belt use is across race and gender. One can see there are slight changes when comparing the 2015 Mini (B) to the 2015 Follow-up (C). The percent changes don t quite surpass the 3% mark. White males showed the greatest difference with a 2.8% increase across the CIOT campaign. When contrasting the results of the 2014 Follow-up (A) to the 2015 Follow-up (C), it should be noted that both genders of the black and white populations showed positive gains in belt use across the CIOT campaign. The only significant decreases are shown in both genders of Hispanic motorists. However, Hispanic vehicle occupant observations are relatively low and vary greatly each year. Therefore, the estimates cannot be considered representative statewide due to these low sample sizes. But, the Hispanic population may continue to grow and should be considered as an integral part of any future seat belt campaign. 30

31 The 2014 Follow-up and 2015 Follow-up both use the full survey results from 173 sites in 16 counties. Comparing these full surveys to the 2015 Mini is not an equitable comparison. Therefore, in an effort to develop a meaningful evaluation, the 54 sites that comprise the 2015 Mini were filtered out of the two other surveys and another comparison was conducted. The results of this comparison by county surveyed can be seen in Table 15. Table 15: County Comparisons of 54 Mini Sites Seat Belt Usage Rates by County Percent 2014 County Follow-Up* 2015 Mini* 2015 Follow-Up* *All results are unweighted Percent Change Percent Change A B C A to C B to C DeSoto 89.4% 86.2% 84.1% -5.3% -2.1% Harrison 90.9% 87.7% 89.2% -1.7% 1.5% Lee 74.9% 74.4% 87.9% 13.0% 13.5% Leflore 71.1% 63.7% 70.5% -0.6% 6.8% Madison 88.2% 88.1% 85.8% -2.4% -2.3% Perry 87.2% 92.1% 91.5% 4.3% -0.6% Pike 84.0% 82.5% 83.7% -0.3% 1.2% Rankin 83.4% 78.2% 82.3% -1.1% 4.1% Total 84.5% 82.0% 84.6% 0.1% 2.6% This mini sites only comparison in Table 15 showed virtually no overall rise in belt from the 2014 Follow-up (A) to the 2015 Follow-up (C). However, Lee County exhibited superlative positive gains in belt use over the year (+13.0%) and over the 2015 CIOT campaign (+13.5%). Leflore County also showed a substantial increase in belt use of 6.8% over the CIOT campaign in DeSoto County, on the other hand, experienced a significant drop in belt usage from 2014 to After DeSoto s remarkable turnaround in belt use from to 2014, the comparison of their mini locations supports the notion that DeSoto has slid slightly in belt use from 2014 to All other differences in Table 15 are considered normal fluctuations in observed belt use estimates. SECTION FIVE: United States Census Bureau and American Community Survey. (2009-). [Data Table]. Demographic and Housing Estimates. Retrieved from Mississippi Department of Transportation. (n.d.) Mississippi Public Roads Selected Statistics Extent, Travel, and Designation. Retrieved from State of Mississippi Department of Revenue. (2012). Annual Report. Retrieved from Mississippi Office of Highway Safety 31

32 SECTION FIVE: Chickasaw 84.2% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 17,403 9,110 % % 2 0 0% 2 100% Females Males 8,293 Demographics % White 55.5% % Black 42.6% % Other 2.0% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , MPH County Houston Okalona Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. DeSoto 82.5% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 163,975 84,255 % % % 4 36% Females Males 79,720 Demographics % White 72.8% % Black 21.0% % Other 6.2% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway ,203 Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , MPH County Hernando Horn Lake Olive Branch Southhaven Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. 32

33 COUNTY ASSESSMENTS % % % 5 71% Hancock 80.3% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 44,597 22,908 Females Demographics % White 87.8% % Black 7.6% % Other 4.6% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , MPH County Bay St. Louis Waveland Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. Males 21,689 % % % 6 40% Harrison 91.9% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 190,756 96,043 Demographics % White 70.4% % Black 22.7% % Other 6.9% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway ,644 Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , MPH County Biloxi D Iberville Gulfport Long Beach Pass Christian Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. Females Males 94,713 33

34 34 SECTION FIVE: Hinds 79.1% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 246,300 Females Males 130, ,532 Holmes 80.8% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 18,931 Females Males 10,008 8,932 Demographics % White 28.1% % Black 69.7% % Other 2.2% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway 2011 % % % 9 64% 2,337 Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles ,718 Demographics % White 15.8% % Black 83.0% % Other 1.1% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway MPH County Bolton Clinton Learned Raymond Terry Utica Edwards Jackson % Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. % % 2 29% 1,015 Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , MPH County Cruger Durant Goodman Lexington Pickens Tchula West Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available.

35 COUNTY ASSESSMENTS % % % 7 70% Jackson 83.8% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 139,906 70,986 Demographics % White 73.1% % Black 21.8% % Other 5.1% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway ,450 Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , MPH County Escatawpa Gautier Moss Point Ocean Springs Pascagoula Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. Females Males 68,920 % % % 10 63% Demographics % White 69.7% % Black 27.6% % Other 2.7% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway ,267 Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , MPH County Baldwyn Nettleton Plantersville Saltillo Sherman Shannon Tupelo Verona Guntown Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. Females Males Lee 83.2% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 83,964 43,916 40,048 35

36 SECTION FIVE: Leflore 67.9% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 31,993 Females Males 16,710 15,283 % White 25.7% % Black 72.2% % Other 2.1% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway 2011 Demographics 903 Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles ,607 % MPH County Greenwood Itta Bena Morgan City Sidon Schlater Enforcement % 4 0 0% 3 75% Municipal seat belt citation data not available. Madison 78.2% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 97,151 50,530 % % % 0 0% Females Males 46,621 Demographics % White 57.1% % Black 38.3% % Other 4.6% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , MPH County Canton Flora Madison Ridgeland Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. 36

37 COUNTY ASSESSMENTS 2012 % White 48.6% % Black 50.7% % Other 0.7% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway Demographics 1193 Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , % MPH County Batesville Como Courtland Crenshaw Crowder Pope Sardis 2012 % % 8 57% % Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. % 2 0 0% 2 100% Panola 77.7% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 34,558 Females Males 17,930 16,628 Perry 89.3% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 12,174 6,226 Demographics % White 77.6% % Black 21.4% % Other 1.1% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , MPH County Beaumont New Augusta Richton Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. Females Males 5,948 37

38 SECTION FIVE: Pike 83.7% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 40,269 21,085 % % % 5 71% Females Males 19,184 Demographics % White 46.3% % Black 51.9% % Other 1.8% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , Seabelt 2014 MPH County Magnolia McComb Osyka Summit Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. Pontotoc 72.6% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 30,207 15,298 % % % 4 50% Females Males 14,909 Demographics % White 79.3% % Black 14.1% % Other 6.6% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , Seabelt 2014 MPH County Ecru Pontotoc Sherman Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. 38

39 COUNTY ASSESSMENTS % % 5 0 0% 5 100% Prentiss 62.5% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 25,354 12,917 Females Demographics % White 84.3% % Black 13.6% % Other 2.2% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles , Seabelt 2014 MPH County Baldwyn Booneville Jumperton Marietta Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. Males 12,437 % White 77.7% % Black 19.1% % Other 3.2% % Age % % Age % Road - Miles of Roadway 2011 Demographics 1598 Vehicle - Number of Registered Vehicles ,751 % 2012 Seabelt 2014 MPH County Brandon Florence Flowood Jackson Pearl Pelahatchie Richland Puckett % % 3 75% Enforcement Municipal seat belt citation data not available. Rankin 75.4% Belt Usage Population Estimate: 143,665 Females Males 74,402 69,263 39

40 SECTION SIX MOTORCYCLE HELMET USE The final segment of this survey is motorcycle helmet use in Mississippi. Mississippi is fortunate to have an excellent motorcycle helmet law. It is a primary law. All motorcycle riders must wear helmets or receive a ticket. As a part of the post-campaign seat belt survey, motorcycle helmet use is also observed during the same time periods and at the same locations as vehicle occupants. There were 189 motorcycle riders observed in 2015, with 176 drivers and 15 passengers. After some volatility in the nationwide estimated use of motorcycle helmets from 2009 to 2012, the helmet usage rate was determined to be constant for the past couple years. In 2009 the nationwide rate was 67%. In 2010, the rate plummeted to 54%. The rate jumped back up to 66% in 2011, and for the years 2012 and, the helmet use rate remained steady at 60%. 6 In 2014, the national helmet rate jumped 4 percentage points to 64%. Mississippi, however, has maintained a consistently high percentage of helmet use. Over the past several years, Mississippi s observed motorcycle helmet use has been in the upper 90% range. For the first time since surveys began, observed motorcycle helmet use in Mississippi is 100%. Motorcycle helmet use for Mississippi in 2015 is 100% Table 12 provides a breakdown of 2015 helmet use in Mississippi by gender and race. There are no categories that show any noncompliance with the helmet law in Note there was no attempt in the survey to judge whether the helmet was legal or illegal. Table 16: Unweighted Motorcycle Helmet Usage in Mississippi Full Survey of 173 Sites in 16 Counties Motorcycle Riders Number of Drivers Helmeted Drivers Percent Helmeted Drivers Number of Passengers 6 NHTSA Traffic Safety Fact Motorcycle Helmet Use in 2014 Overall Results (DOT HS ) Helmeted Passengers Percent Helmeted Passengers Black Males % Black Females % % White Males % % While Females % % Hispanic Males Hispanic Females Total % % 40

41 DID YOU KNOW? 100% Overall observed motorcycle helmet use in Mississippi for 2015 Passenger helmet use is also 100% Mississippi has maintained a consistently high percentage of motorcycle helmet use. In the United States, Motorcycle helmet use increased by 4% last year. 60% % 60% 2014

42 SUMMARY For over a decade, intense media and enforcement campaigns have been directed towards Mississippians with the intent of increasing their awareness of seat belt laws, promoting highway safety, and changing the behavior of those who do not buckle their belts. The Click It or Ticket campaign is conducted over a four week period of earned media, paid media, and enforcement. This awareness and enforcement effort is part of the Memorial Day mobilization. The effectiveness of these efforts was evaluated by surveys managed by the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University. In 2015, a NHTSA-approved survey design was used to estimate belt use rates for Mississippi. The statewide survey, which includes 173 observation sites in 16 counties, was used to estimate the belt use rate of Mississippi motorists after the CIOT campaign in early June. The overall estimate from the full survey is considered the official belt use rate for Mississippi in Prior to CIOT, a subsample, or mini, survey was administered to establish a baseline belt use rate. The mini survey consisted of 54 sites in 8 counties. The baseline was conducted in April and early May. Overall, the unweighted baseline information indicated an 82.0% estimated belt use rate in the spring, and when compared to the appropriately weighted 79.6% estimate for the post-campaign survey in the summer, Mississippi did not show a favorable change in belt use over the campaign period. However, the drop in observed belt usage from 2015 s baseline to follow-up surveys is not considered a reflection of a failed CIOT campaign. Media and enforcement efforts in 2015 were considered very successful. The efforts of the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety certainly aid in the increase of observed belt use from year to year. The 79.6% overall belt use estimate for the state in 2015 is up 1.3% from the previous year s 78.3% belt use rate. This positive change is a tribute to the success of the program. Although Mississippi s upward trend in belt use in recent years to over the 80% mark and approaching the national average has taken a significant step backwards, the most recent increases bring encouragement to make the program even stronger in years to come. Mississippi s continued success in increasing belt usage facilitates the overarching goal of saving lives on our state s road network. Finally, as is evident by the survey results, Mississippi has an excellent usage rate for motorcycle helmet usage. For a number of years, the helmet use rate has been near 100% and in 2015, for the first time, observed helmet use was 100%. 42

43 Percent 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 48% Mississippi United States & Territories 75% 73% 71% 69% 69% 67% 58% 54% 50% 83% 84% 85% 84% 82% 82% 81% 79% 80% 62% 62% 62% 63% 61% 74% 72% 71% 76% 83% 81% 82% 87% 87% 86% 74% 78% 80% 40% Year By comparing the national belt use estimates to Mississippi s observed usages over the past 19 years one can see the gap between the those two figures converging. The graph shows only about 1 out of every 2 Mississippi motorists buckling up in the late 1990 s. From 2001 to 2005, a relatively flat belt use rate in the lower 60 percent range was exhibited by the state. In 2006, Mississippi enacted a primary seat belt law that provided the catalyst for over a 10 percentage point increase in observed seat belt use. This significant increase in belt use in 2006 started an upward climb to 83% in The 83% belt use estimate was the highest ever recorded in Mississippi and only 3 percentage points below the national average of 86%. Unfortunately, a new sampling criteria introduced by NHTSA counteracted the previous years of apparent achievement by catapulting observed belt use estimates down 9 percentage points to 74% in. Since that time however, the resilience and drive of Mississippi has resulted in a climb back up to the 80% mark in The national average for belt use in 2015 is not known at the time of this report, but Mississippi is striving to close that gap once again. 43