Abstract
This paper investigates the effectiveness of New Jersey's mandatory belt use law (MUL) by testing specifically for: (1) a safety effect, and (2) a risk-compensation effect that could offset (in part) any safety impact. The main findings are that injury severity declined significantly in the 22 months following implementation of the MUL; but that accident frequency increased significantly. The increase in accidents may be explained only partially by increased driving mileage. These findings suggest that the real safety effect of the law may have been diluted by risk-compensating behavior.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 181-197 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Policy Sciences |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1991 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Development
- Sociology and Political Science
- General Social Sciences
- Public Administration
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law