Uniform Criteria for State Observational Surveys of Seat Belt Use

This Final Rule amends the regulation establishing uniform criteria for designing and conducting State seat belt use observational surveys and the procedures for obtaining NHTSA approval of survey designs, and provides a new form for reporting seat belt use rates to NHTSA. Since the adoption of the Uniform Criteria in 1998, NHTSA and the States have accumulated substantial experience in the design and implementation of seat belt use surveys. This experience has provided insight into factors that could affect survey accuracy and reliability. In addition, technological improvements in road inventories have made it possible to select observation sites that are more representative of the road segments in the State in a more cost effective manner. For these reasons, NHTSA is revising the Uniform Criteria so that future surveys will give States more accurate data to guide their occupant protection programs.