Publications

Eby, D.W., Kostyniuk, L.P., Vivoda, J.M. 2003. Risky Driving: The Relationship Between Cellular Phone and Safety Belt Use. Transportation Research Record vol. 1843, p. 20-23.

The main purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between cellular phone and safety belt use. Safety belt use rates of drivers using and drivers not using hand-held cellular phones were compared. All safety belt and hand-held cellular phone use data were collected through direct observation while vehicles were stopped at intersections and freeway exit ramps in Michigan. Data were weighted to be representative of drivers during daylight hours in Michigan. Analyses included statistical comparisons of safety belt use rates and a logistic regression model to determine the effect of hand-held cellular phone use on safety belt use. The study found that safety belt use for drivers using a hand-held cellular phone was significantly lower than for drivers not using cellular phones. This same significant relationship was found within nearly all demographic categories analyzed. The logistic regression model showed that the odds of a hand-held cellular phone user not using a safety belt was 1.77 times that of a driver not using a cellular phone. These results stress the importance of the public health issue posed by cellular phone use; not only are those who are conversing on cellular phones potentially more likely to be in a motor vehicle crash, they are also more likely to sustain greater injury due to the lack of safety belt use.