RESEARCH
Predicting Police Officer Seat Belt Use : Evidence-Based Solutions to Improve Officer Driving Safety
While considerable attention is focused on officer injuries resulting from physical attacks , few recognize a leading cause of officer injuries and death is automobile accidents . Previous studies have found that in the threeyear period of 2017 – 2019 , 138 officers were killed in traffic-related incidents . For every officer killed in an automobile collision , 234 officers were injured . That suggests an average of 10,764 officers were injured during the same period . While proper use of seat belts can increase the potential of surviving a potentially fatal collision from 44 to 73 percent , very little research has been conducted to determine why officers choose to not wear their seat belts . The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with increased seat belt usage by officers so police leaders can implement evidence-based strategies to reducing officer injuries and fatalities . Researchers focused on six characteristics to determine which may be related to increased use of seat belts by officers . These include individual characteristics ( gender , experience , education , in committed relationship or have children ), impulsive attitudes ( belief of being at risk of collision , fear of being assaulted while in car ), risky behaviors ( use cell phone or text while driving , off-duty collisions , being stopped while off-duty ), training experiences ( level of driver training including EVOC , pursuit , and simulator as well as their perception of the quality of their training ), agency policies ( department policies regarding driving behaviors and perceived likelihood supervisors would hold them accountable ), and organizational characteristics ( agency had officer injured / killed in accident , perceive to be treated fairly by supervisors , and engage the community better ).
Working with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Council , officers , sergeants , and lieutenants from eight small and midsize California agencies were surveyed . Researchers found the greatest predictor of an officer wearing their seat belt was the belief their supervisor would hold them accountable for wearing them . They wisely noted , ‘ policy without accountability is a waste of time and will not increase officer safety .’
The second greatest indicator of seat belt usage as was officers ’ perception of the organizational justice . Officers who perceived they were treated fairly by their supervisors , had input in agency decision making , and their benefits were distributed fairly were more likely to wear seat belts . Researchers summarized the officers ’ belief as , ‘ the agency had their best interests in mind ’.
Third , having a colleague to be seriously hurt or killed after being ‘ struck ’ by a car was linked to increased usage of seatbelts .
72 SPRING . 2021