Car Safety and Seat Belt Use Survey!

Here is a survey that incorporates some of the information that I've covered on this blog as well as allows you to reflect on how you approach driving safety.

Message Explanations:

Message #1 Fear Inducing Message: For this message I used graphic imagery of what can happen when you don't wear a seat belt. The message is used to point out that everyone is capable of the simple task of using a seat belt and that everyone is susceptible to the fatal consequences if you don't.

Message #2 Peripheral Route Processing: For this message I chose to use authority figures and trusted experts who are all in agreement in order to persuade the viewer that what they are saying must be true. I also used the "Length implies Strength" tactic of using a lot of text and facts to make it appear to the person looking at the add that a lot of research has gone into it,which means that it is believable.


Message #3 Two Sided Central Route Processing: This message explores a familiar car safety issue of how to properly maintain your child's safety when you are a passenger in a motor vehicle. In this message two moms debate over which is better, holding your baby or restraining your baby in a car seat. The first mom eventually convinces the other by giving facts as to why using a car seat is better.


Reference Pages:

http://www.miamicountyin.gov/Departments/Sheriff/SeatBeltFacts.htm

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/seat_belts.html

http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/safetybelt.shtml

http://www.car-safety.org/faq.html#Q1

Message #3: Two Sided Central Route Processing Add



Two angry mothers are arguing about whether it's safer to put their babies in seat belts and car seats or whether it's better to hold them when they are passengers.



Angry Mom #1: There's no way you would have the reflexes to cover your baby in a collision. Plus you can never anticipate when you're going to be in a crash. I give my baby the proper love and attention by putting him in a car seat where I know he'll be safe.

VS.



Angry Mom #2: I really think it's much safer that when I am a passenger in a car, I can hold my baby instead of subject her to uncomfortable straps and belts. I am perfectly capable of restraining her and I can cover and protect her if their is any danger. A seat belt can't do that!

Angry Mom #1: NO! no, no, no, Statistics prove that those ejected in a crash are four times more likely to die. The forces in a crash can be hundreds of pounds or much more, too great for someone to hold a child safely. Plus, the reaction time needed in a crash makes it virtually impossible to restrain another passenger. It is far easier to escape a vehicle if you don't suffer the serious head and chest injuries associated with crashes where seat belts aren't used.

Now that they know this information they are both happy moms:

Message #2 Peripheral Route Processing: Let's Ask The Experts About How to Stay Safe While Driving!


We've asked two police officers from Miami County, Indiana and a professor at MIT to give their professional opinions on safe driving.


Police officers Robert Johnson and Terry Malloy have seen their fair share of car accidents and related fatalities, they both agree that in addition to obeying all traffic laws, you should always wear your seat belt. Here are some reasons why they say so:




Officer Johnson: Did you know that every hour someone dies in America because they didn't take two seconds to buckle their seat belts? Seat belts will increase your chances of surviving a crash by 50%.Also, if I see you not wearing a seat belt I'm just gonna pull you over, give you a big ole ticket, and say "Have a nice day now."




Officer Malloy: Hoh Robert! I couldn't agree with you more! I think it's my turn to weigh in on this. For maximum protection, safety belts should be fastened before traveling any distance or speed. Seventy-five percent of crash deaths and injuries occur within 25 miles of home. More than half of all injury-producing motor vehicle crashes involve low speeds under 40 m.p.h. And if you feel like ignoring what I have to say, like my buddy Robert, I have no problem Issuing a couple tickets.

Now Let's hear what Professor Ford from MIT has to say about all this....



Prof. Ford: As someone who has been universally recognized as an expert in the sciences and has received countless awards and honorary degrees, I must say that I agree 100% with officers Malloy and Johnson who are both fine policemen.In addition to what has been already said, I would like to add one fact which is the most appalling to me, more than 90 percent of all motorists believe safety belts are good idea, but less than 14 percent actually use them.

I think we can all agree that seat belts are a must!

Message #1: Fear Message





Car crashes occur every second.


At some point they affect everyone.




Everyone is able to wear a seat belt. Something so simple can save your life when you least expect it.







Prepare to face the consequences if you don't wear one...

Message Explanations



Message One: The first message displays the classical conditioning approach of pairing my advertisement with an attractive person and a suggestive title. The idea was to associate my message with a stimulus that already produces a positive response.

Message Two: The second message draws from a similar idea instead this time the image is of a happy child wearing a seat belt. The image paired with the phrase is meant to bring up notions of one's family and loved ones and shows that seat belts can ensure their safety.

Message Three: This message uses the behavioralist principle of intensity showing a perceptually intense image in order to create a stronger response. The image of someone being fatally thrown around their car during a car crash is a strong image which serves as a reminder of the possible consequences.

Message Four: My idea for a subliminal message, if these actually worked, is to create a non threatening advertisement that lasts a split second that only involves the visual and auditory stimulus of using a seat belt. It would hopefully inspire people to simply use them in order to satisfy their urge to hear the click of a seat belt or the message would have implanted the idea of using one that it would simply become second nature.

Message Five: This message involves an advertisement in which James Dean endorses safe driving through giving testimony on his experience as a race car driver. He also adds that it is important not to speed while on the highways and to be attentive at all times. James Dean's reputation as some what of a rebel and a long time symbol of what has been considered "cool" I think helps to strengthen the case for safe driving. I also added a picture of James Deans Car Wreck which shows that it doesn't just take safe driving to keep you safe, you need to wear a seat belt too.

Message Six: With this message I thought it would be important to include those who oversee the seat belt law and to include the other consequence for not wearing one, getting a ticket. A police officer I feel provides the authority to persuade people to start wearing seat belts as well as demonstrates the fact that it's not only your life in danger, it's your wallet, and your driving record.

Reference Pages

http://www.anapolschwartz.com/practices/seat-belt-failure/seatbelt-statistics.asp

http://www.miamicountyin.gov/Departments/Sheriff/SeatBeltFacts.htm

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/seat_belts.html

http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/safetybelt.shtml

Message Six: Credible Communicator

Wear your seat belt. It could be your life or your wallet.

This message would have a police officer discussing the consequences of not wearing a seat belt.

Message Five: Credible Communicator

The video below is an old PSA add by James Dean promoting save driving. Throughout the add he discusses how it is important to drive cautiously and to be attentive while on the road. I would use this message to show that not only is it important to drive safely but it is also necessary to wear a seatbelt because it is the primary reason for why James Dean was fatally wounded in a car accident.

The image above also shows the car crash in which James Dean was killed.

Message 4: Subliminal Message

If I were to develop a subliminal message to increase seat belt use I would develop an incredibly short add that would simply display the clicking of a seat belt. This add would hopefully be played either as an add on television or as a trailer prior to the showing of a movie. It would hopefully insight in the viewers, the need to witness and experience the first hand sensory information and satisfaction of clicking a seat belt. Ideally the discrete repetition of the add would allow seat belt use to to continuously be on the minds of the viewers.

Intensity Classical Conditioning Message: This Could be You!

This or much worse could happen to you if you don't wear a seat belt.

Classical Conditioning Message 2: Safe People are Happy People!

Wearing seat belts keeps your friends and family safe.

Classical Conditioning Message 1: Be Safe...

Wear a seat belt every time you ride in, or operate a motor vehicle.

Car Safety and Seat Belt Use

The History of Car Safety and Seatbelt Use

Roughly 40,000 people die each year in car accidents, half of which could have been prevented if seatbelts were worn. Statistics show that 63% of people killed in automobile accidents involve those who were not wearing seat belts, which is the sole traffic safety-related behavior that contributes to more fatalities than any other. Numerous studies have compared the effectiveness of wearing a seatbelt versus driving unrestrained and have concluded that the use of a seat belt dramatically reduces the risk of injury and fatality. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2008 that fifty-five percent of those killed in passenger vehicle occupant crashes were not wearing a seat belt and sixty-four percent of those killed during the night were unrestrained, compared to 45% during the day. Unfortunately, even though this seems a though it is common knowledge a majority of people still neglect to wear seat belts while operating a motor vehicle. Statistics by James Madison University demonstrate that more than 90 percent of all motorists believe safety belts are good idea, but less than 14 percent actually use them, and with motor vehicle crashes being the leading cause of death among people age 44 and younger and the number one cause of head and spinal cord injury, it seems that education alone is not convincing young people to wear their seat belts when they drive.

Prior to the development and mandatory use of seatbelts, the annual rate of motor vehicle fatalities was much higher. By the 1930s in America, the automobile had been mass-produced for several decades and they were increasingly becoming more common and necessary for everyday life. Through this increase in use, an estimated 30,000 people died yearly in car accidents with numbers that were continuing to increase. It wasn’t until 1946 when, due to the recognition of the high number of head injuries that were appearing in the emergency rooms, Dr. C. Hunter Shelden, head of a neuro-science practice in California, created the idea for what would become the retractable seat belt. They soon become optional in Nash and Ford model cars in the forties and fifties, though it wasn’t until the 1960s when the U.S. government began to study the impact of seatbelt use that seat belt laws began being passed. By 1965, all fifty states had passed laws requiring seat belts in the front seats of automobiles and only two years later the laws included the back seat as well.

Technological Contributions to Car Safety

Since the initial seatbelt mandates there have been many technological advancements that have improved seatbelts and encouraged/reminded drivers to use them. Most seatbelts, whether lap, sash, three-point, or five-point belts, are now equipped with locking mechanisms, or inertia reels that tighten the belt when pulled fast but do not tighten when pulled slowly. In addition to this, pretensioners, which tight the belt to prevent the occupant from jerking forward in a crash, and webclamps, which clamp the webbing in the event of an accident and limit the distance that the webbing can spool out, are also used. Inflatable seatbelts, which increase the area of the restraint contacting the occupant and also shortens the length of the restraint to tighten the belt around the occupant, as well as automatic seatbelts that move in reverse to be secured whenever are vehicle is started are also used. Aside from seatbelts there have been other uses in technology that have been used to increase driving safety. Reminder chimes and audiovisual reminders have been included in cars since the seventies and the development of the airbag has been a safety precaution that has been added in addition to the seat belt. What I feel could be an additional precaution that may begin to be developed is the inability to drive when the engine is on with out a seatbelt though it does seem to infringe upon personal choice.

Social Support

Uses of technology have not been the sole aspect in dealing with driving safety, there are numerous social precautions used from educating young children while in school to taking driving courses as one prepares to test for their license and to strictly enforced laws upheld by police, who in the past couple years have increasingly been issuing tickets and fines to those drivers who do not wear their seat belts. Other forms of the social approach are found in advertisements in newspapers and magazines demonstrating the importance of buckling up and noting the amount of fines that one can be issued if they are pulled over without a belt. Television adds also use scare tactics and intimidation to encourage people to drive safely and use their belts. I also recall in elementary and high school attending several assemblies and classes where the sole focus was on car safety and seat belt and included mothers discussing their deceased children who had neglected to put their safety first. Though it seems that these methods are effective, I feel that the intimidation factor and the police presence within the safety messages in the media are not as effective and I think that messages that focus on people who have passed away and the affect on their loved ones is a better way to approach it. Also advertisements that address the common reasons for not wearing seatbelts such as “They’re uncomfortable”, “I’m only driving as short distance”, and “I’m afraid of being trapped in the car” would be very beneficial.

Overall, I feel that driving safety is incredibly important and that through the advancements in technology and an honest and responsible approach to car safety education, it is possible to increase the numbers of lives that are saved.

Available Information

For more information on driving safety and seat belt use you may look at the following links:

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/seat_belts.html

http://ehs.okstate.edu/kopykit/seatbelt.htm

http://www.ehow.com/about_5333377_history-seatbelts.html

http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/safetybelt.shtml