Healthy lifestyle and safety: An expected net benefit approach to seat belt use
✍ Scribed by Richard M. O'Conor; Glen C. Blomquist; Ted R. Miller
- Book ID
- 102659713
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 790 KB
- Volume
- 17
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0143-6570
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
This paper examines the relationship between motorist safety belt use and three lifestyle behaviors affecting health. A healthy lifestyle affects benefits of seat belt use because it indicates a greater value on safety. If individuals are rational in their behavior, we expect consistency across health and safety choices. Using a nationwide survey sample and logit analysis we find lifestyle has expected effects on belt use holding constant individual and vehicle characteristics. Illustrations for two different lifestyles are considered (1) smoking 1 pack per day, 2 years between dental visits, and no regular exercise and (2) no smoking, 1 year between dental visits and regular exercise. Healthier lifestyle increases the probability of seat belt use by more than 50% for typical individuals Estimated motor vehicle weight in poundsb (less benefit, -) Miles driven during an average work day (benefit, +) Percentage of total weekly travel time on divided highways (benefit, ?; lower cost, + net?) a + , -, or ? indicates the expected sign. Weights are imputed from Ward's Automotive Yearbook