Risky Driving: Relationship Between Cellular Phone and Safety Belt Use

The main purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between cellular phone and safety belt use. Rates of safety belt use of drivers using and drivers not using handheld cellular phones were compared. All data for safety belt and handheld cellular phone use 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 effects of handheld cellular phone use on safety belt use. The study found that safety belt use for drivers using a handheld 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 handheld cellular phone user not using a safety belt were 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 because of the lack of safety belt use.