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File name: SSRN-id293582. ; Size: 268K
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The Effects of Mandatory Seat Belt Laws on Driving Behavior and Traffic Fatalities
Alma Cohen
Tel Aviv University - Eitan Berglas School of Economics; Harvard Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Liran Einav
Stanford University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 85, pp. 828-843, 2003
Abstract:
This paper investigates the effects of mandatory seat belt laws on driver behavior and traffic fatalities. Using a unique panel data set on seat belt usage rates in all U.S. jurisdictions, we analyze how such laws, by influencing seat belt use, affect traffic fatalities. Controlling for the endogeneity of seat belt usage, we find that it decreases overall traffic fatalities. The magnitude of this effect, however, is significantly smaller than the estimate used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Testing the compensating behavior theory, which suggests that seat belt use also has an adverse effect on fatalities by encouraging careless driving, we find that this theory is not supported by the data. Finally, we identify factors, especially the type of enforcement used, that make seat belt laws more effective in increasing seat belt usage.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 48
JEL Classification: C13, I12, K32, K42, R40
Accepted Paper Series
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Date posted: December 10, 2001
Suggested CitationCohen, Alma and Einav, Liran, The Effects of Mandatory Seat Belt Laws on Driving Behavior and Traffic Fatalities. Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 85, pp. 828-843, 2003. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=293582 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.293582
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