EVALUATION OF NEW YORK STATE'S MANDATORY OCCUPANT RESTRAINT LAW. VOLUME IV: ENFORCEMENT AND ADJUDICATION OF VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW. FINAL REPORT

This is the final report on analyses of the available 1985 enforcement and adjudication data relating to New York State's Mandatory Occupant Restraint Law. In the first year of the law there were over 30,000 violations that resulted in conviction. The number of convictions did not fluctuate substantially throughout the year. 57% were in the Upstate region, 19% were in the New York City region and 24% were in the Long Island region. 80% of the tickets resulting in a conviction were written for unrestrained drivers, 8% for adult front seat passengers, and 12% for children. Almost all convictions resulted in a fine, and 90% of the fines were $25 or less. Nearly 3/4 of the persons convicted of a seat belt violation were men, and 2/3 of those convicted were under 35 years of age. In addition, 1985 data on all safety belt violations were available for 17 counties in the State. 3/4 of the tickets were for unbelted drivers, 8% were for adult front seat passengers, and 17% were for children. Nearly 2/3 were written on routine patrol and 20% were issued during accident investigations. 15% of the tickets were dismissed and 85% resulted in conviction. Nearly half the fines paid were $10 or less. The results of primary and secondary enforcement could not be differentiated. Low secondary enforcement was evident given the observed usage rates and the number of convictions for other violations. An increase in the actual and perceived risk of enforcement should help raise compliance with the law in the future.