An analysis of the determinants of seat-belt use for automobile drivers in the state of North Carolina is presented. A factor analysis and random utility model capture the attributes of seat-belt use that plausibly govern the choice of whether to use them. The principal findings are that enforcement measures such as the levying of fines for not wearing a seat belt are effective in encouraging seat-belt use and that racial differences play a role in the response to enforcement measures in that black drivers are more sensitive to seat-belt enforcement measures than other drivers.
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