Skip to main content
PMC home page
Annals of Surgery logoLink to Annals of Surgery
. 1993 Feb;217(2):122–127. doi: 10.1097/00000658-199302000-00005

The cost of not wearing seat belts. A comparison of outcome in 3396 patients.

R Rutledge 1, A Lalor 1, D Oller 1, A Hansen 1, M Thomason 1, W Meredith 1, M B Foil 1, C Baker 1
PMCID: PMC1242750  PMID: 8439210

Abstract

Data from the North Carolina Trauma Registry were analyzed to determine the effect of seat belt usage on outcome in motor vehicle accidents. Of 6237 persons involved in motor vehicle accidents, data on seat belt usage were available for 3396. Of these, 1916 were not and 1480 were wearing seat belts. The mean hospital charge in belted patients was $10,500 +/- $18,200; and in unbelted patients, $15,250 +/- $26,300 (p < 0.001). The total hospital charges were $23 million for the 1508 patients not wearing seat belts. If the unbelted patients had outcomes similar to belted patients, the charges resulting from caring for the 1508 patients would have been $15.8 million, a potential savings of $7.2 million. There were 135 deaths among the unbelted patients (7.0%) and 47 deaths among the belted patients (3.2%) (p < 0.001). A similar projection of belted outcome for unbelted patients suggests that seat belt usage could have reduced the unbelted mortality rate by over one half. Patients wearing seat belts also had significantly shorter hospital stays, fewer days in the intensive care unit, and fewer days on the ventilator (p < 0.001). Seat belt usage is associated with a significant decrease in mortality rate, hospital charges, length of stay, intensive care unit stay, and ventilator requirements. Seat belts could have saved at least 74 lives and 7.2 million dollars during the period from October 1, 1987 to July 1, 1989 in patients seen in the seven trauma centers in North Carolina.

Full text

PDF
122

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baker S. P., Whitfield R. A., O'Neill B. Geographic variations in mortality from motor vehicle crashes. N Engl J Med. 1987 May 28;316(22):1384–1387. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198705283162206. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barancik J. I., Kramer C. F., Thode H. C., Jr, Harris D. Efficacy of the New York State seat belt law: preliminary assessment of occurrence and severity. Bull N Y Acad Med. 1988 Sep-Oct;64(7):742–749. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bernstein E., Pathak D., Rutledge L., Demarest G. New Mexico safety restraint law: changing patterns of motor vehicle injury, severity, and cost. Am J Emerg Med. 1989 May;7(3):271–277. doi: 10.1016/0735-6757(89)90168-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chorba T. L., Reinfurt D., Hulka B. S. Efficacy of mandatory seat-belt use legislation. The North Carolina experience from 1983 through 1987. JAMA. 1988 Dec 23;260(24):3593–3597. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cunningham J. W., Wilson F. R. Injury patterns for occupants of small trucks. Accid Anal Prev. 1989 Apr;21(2):105–113. doi: 10.1016/0001-4575(89)90080-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Greenberg S. R. Seat belts and human rights: an appraisal. J Forensic Sci. 1987 Jan;32(1):158–166. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Lund A. K., Pollner J., Williams A. F. Preliminary estimates of the effects of mandatory seat belt use laws. Accid Anal Prev. 1987 Jun;19(3):219–223. doi: 10.1016/0001-4575(87)90005-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Marburger E. A., Friedel B. Seat belt legislation and seat belt effectiveness in the Federal Republic of Germany. J Trauma. 1987 Jul;27(7):703–705. doi: 10.1097/00005373-198707000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. McGee D. L., Rhodes P. Estimating trends in the effectiveness of seat belts in saving lives, 1975-1985. Stat Med. 1989 Mar;8(3):379–385. doi: 10.1002/sim.4780080319. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Orsay E. M., Turnbull T. L., Dunne M., Barrett J. A., Langenberg P., Orsay C. P. Prospective study of the effect of safety belts on morbidity and health care costs in motor-vehicle accidents. JAMA. 1988 Dec 23;260(24):3598–3603. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Payne S. R., Waller J. A. Trauma registry and trauma center biases in injury research. J Trauma. 1989 Apr;29(4):424–429. doi: 10.1097/00005373-198904000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Petrucelli E. Seat belt laws: the New York experience--preliminary data and some observations. J Trauma. 1987 Jul;27(7):706–710. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Raisis L. W. Helmet and seat belt laws, private or public choice? Del Med J. 1989 Jun;61(6):303–303. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Waller J. A. Methodologic issues in hospital-based injury research. J Trauma. 1988 Dec;28(12):1632–1636. doi: 10.1097/00005373-198812000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of Surgery are provided here courtesy of Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins

RESOURCES