MINORITIES AND PRIMARY VERSUS SECONDARY BELT USE ENFORCEMENT

Some states allow police to ticket a motorist solely for not using a safety belt, a practice known as primary or standard enforcement. Most states allow only secondary enforcement: a motorist must be stopped for some other violation before a belt ticket can be issued. Primary enforcement is associated with substantially higher belt use rates. Still, most states have been hesitant to allow primary enforcement in fear that it could provide more opportunity for police to stop, and presumably harass, motorists. Before-and-after comparisons are described with respect to race and ethnicity for five states that implemented a change from secondary to primary enforcement. Results indicated that, for minorities, primary enforcement is associated with higher belt use rates and proportionately equal or fewer belt use citations; secondary laws are associated with lower belt use rates and proportionally equal or more belt use citations. It is concluded that primary enforcement results in both a more uniform number of citations issued across racial groups and greater protection for motor vehicle occupants.