Effects of Mandatory Seatbelt Use Laws on Highway Fatalities in 1985

摘要

Each year between 40,000 and 50,000 people die in highway accidents. Mandatory seatbelt use laws (MULs) promise a substantial reduction in both highway fatalities and the severity of non-fatal accidents. A pooled cross-section time-series model is constructed to estimate the effectiveness of MULs in the nine states and District of Columbia where they were implemented in 1985. It is estimated that because of MULs 258 lives were saved in 1985.