Restraint Use Survey Rural Open Road Victoria 1990-91
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ARUP RESTRAINT USE SURVEY RURAL OPEN ROAD VICTORIA 1990-91 GR91-16 1991 RESTRAINT USE SURVEY RURAL OPEN ROAD VICTORIA 1990-91 GR 91 - 16 Prepared for Vic Roads by Arup Transportation Planning November 1991 5689 " ISBN Numbers: 073062161 8 Available from: VIC ROADS 60 DENMARK STREET KEW VIC 3101 Phone (03) 860 2782 Fax (03) 853 0084 VIC ROADS REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Report No. Report Date: ISBN Pages GR 91-16 November 1991 073062161 8 51 Title and Sub-title: Restraint Use Survey Rural Open Road Victoria 1990 - 91 Author(s) Type of Report & Period Covered: Amp Transportation Planning General Report 1990 - 1991 Performing Organisation(s) - Sponsoring Organisation - Amp Transportation Plaruring Research and Investigations 79 - 81 Franklin Street Road Safety Melbourne 3000 VIC ROADS Victoria Australia 290 Burwood Road Hawthorn Vic 3122 Australia. Executive Group/Steering Committee: Working Group/Study Team: David Singleton (ARUP) Christopher Graham (ARUP) John Lambert (VIC ROADS) Christopher Tehan (ARUP) Pat Rogerson (VIC ROADS) Abstract: The survey consists of two stages: (i) a pilot study designed to test and refine the methodology. (ii) the main survey to provide detailed information on restraint wearing rates. _ This report describes the pilot study: methodology used, sampling and collection rates, seat belt wearing rates, and vehicle and driver profiles. It also provides details of the practical problems encountered during the pilot study and the recommended approach for the conduct of the main survey. The results of the main survey, includes descriptions of the adopted survey methodology and survey programme, presentation of detailed seat belt wearing rates for important categories, comparisons with weekend data and references to results obtained from other recent rural Victorian seat-belt surveys. 28,594 vehicles were observed over 15 sites. 48,789 usable occupant observations were recorded. It was found that overall seat belt wearing rate on the open road in Victoria was 95.7%. Significant differences in seat belt wearing rates occurred with seating position, age, belt type and vehicle type. In comparison with the most recent Victorian rural town surveys it appears that seat belt wearing rates on rural open roads are similar to wearing rates in rural towns. Key Words: Safety Belt, Safety, Vehicle Occupant Restraint Use*, Rural Highways Reproduction of Form and completed page is authorised PRI267.R&I ac Arup Transportation Planning TABLE OF CONTENTS "I Page Nos. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. BACKGROUND 2 3. PILOT STUDY 3 3.1 General 3 3.2 Survey Specification 3 3.2.1 Sites 3 3.2.2 Survey Duration 4 3.2.3 Division of Survey Effort 5 3.2.4 Sample Selection 5 3.2.5 Survey Design 6 3.2.6 Sampling Issues 6 3.2.7 Practical Issues 7 3.3 Analysis 8 3.3.1 Sample Overview 8 3.3.2 Collection Rates 10 3.3.3 Seat Belt Wearing Rates 13 3.3.4 Vehicle Profiles 18 3.3.5 Driver Profiles 18 3.4 Summary and Conclusions 23 4. MAIN SURVEYS 24 4.1 General 24 4.2 Survey Specification 24 4.2.1 Sites 24 4.2.2 Division of Survey Effort 25 4.2.3 Sample Selection 26 4.2.4 Survey Design 26 4.2.5 Sampling Issues 26 4.2.6 Practical Issues 27 4.3 Analysis 28 4.3.1 Sample Overview 28 4.3.2 Overall Wearing Rates 30 4.3.3 Seating Position 33 4.3.4 Belt Type 34 4.3.5 Vehicle Type 34 4.3.6 Time of Day 35 4.3.7 Day of Week 36 4.3.8 Age 36 4.3.9 Sex 38 4.3.10 Weather 38 4.3.11 Multivariate Cross Tabulations of Wearing Rates 38 4.4 Comparison with Previous Surveys 47 Arup Transportation Planning Page Nos. 5. CONCLUS,ONS 49 6. REFERENCES 51 APPENDIX - SURVEY FORMS UST OF TABLES PILOT STUDY TABLE 3.1: SERVICE STATION SURVEY SCHEDULE 5 TABLE 3.2: OBSERVATION SAMPLE RATES BY SITE 8 TABLE 3.3: OBSERVATION SAMPLE RATES OF VEHICLES ENTERING SERVICE STATIONS BY SITE 9 TABLE 3.4: INTERVIEW SAMPLE RATES BY SITE 9 TABLE 3.5: INTERVIEW SAMPLE RATES OF VEHICLES ENTERING SERVICE STATIONS BY SITE 10 TABLE 3.6: VEHICLE OBSERVATIONS PER HOUR BY SITE 11 TABLE 3.7: DRIVER INTERVIEWS PER HOUR BY SITE 12 TABLE 3.8: OVERAll DAYTIME DATA COLLECTION RATES PER HOUR BY SITE 13 TABLE 3.9: WEARING RATES BY SITE 14 TABLE 3.10: WEARING RATES BY SITE· CARS AND STATION WAGONS 14 TABLE 3.11: WEARING RATES BY SEX 15 TABLE 3.12: WEARING RATES BY SEATING POSITION 16 TABLE 3.13: SITE BY VEHICLE TYPE 18 TABLE 3.14: DAILY DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY SITE 19 TABLE 3.15: DRIVER TRIP PURPOSE BY SITE 19 TABLE 3.16: LOCAL DRIVERS VERSUS OTHER DRIVERS BY SITE 20 TABLE 3.17: ANNUAL DISTANCE TRAVEllED BY SITE 21 TABLE 3.18: LICENCE TYPE HELD BY DRIVER BY SITE 21 TABLE 3.19: YEARS OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE BY SITE 22 MAIN SURVEYS TABLE 4.1: VEHICLE OBSERVATIONS BY SITE BY VEHICLE TYPE 28 TABLE 4.2: VEHICLE OBSERVATIONS AND SAMPLING RATES BY SITE TYPE 29 TABLE 4.3: WEARING RATES BY SITE 30 TABLE 4.4: WEARING RATES BY SITE TYPE BY AADT (%) 32 TABLE 4.5: WEARING RATES BY TIME BAND BY SITE TYPE (%) 33 TABLE 4.6: WEARING RATES BY SEATING POSITION 33 TABLE 4.7: WEARING RATES BY BELT TYPE 34 TABLE 4.8: WEARING RATES BY VEHICLE TYPE 34 TABLE 4.9: WEARING RATES BY DAY OF WEEK 36 TABLE 4.10: WEARING RATES BY AGE 37 TABLE 4.11: WEARING RATES BY SEX 38 TABLE 4.12: WEARING RATES BY WEATHER 38 TABLE 4.13: WEARING RATE BY SEATING POSITION BY AGE 39 TABLE 4.14: WEARING RATE BY SEATING POSITION BY SEX 40 TABLE 4.15: WEARING RATE BY SEATING POSITION BY VEHICLE TYPE 40 TABLE 4.16: WEARING RATE BY SEATING POSITION BY BELT TYPE 41 TABLE 4.17: WEARING RATE BY SEATING POSITION BY BELT TYPE BY AGE 42 Arup Transportation Planning Page Nos. TABLE 4.18: WEARING RATE BY BELT TYPE BY AGE 45 TABLE 4.19: WEARING RATE BY BELT TYPE BV VEHICLE TYPE 45 TABLE 4.20: WEARING RATE BY AGE BY VEHICLE TYPE 46 TABLE 4.21: WEARING RATE BY AGE BY AADT 46 TABLE 4.22: OVERALL SEAT BELT WEARING RATES: RURAL TOWN vs RURAL OPEN ROAD CONDITIONS 47 TABLE 4.23: SEAT BELT WEARING RATES BY CATEGORY: RURAL TOWN vs RURAL OPEN ROAD CONDITIONS (%) 47 UST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 Pilot Study Survey Sites After page 4 Figure 4.1 Main Survey Sites After page 25 Figure 4.2: Wearing Rate vs AADT 31 Figure 4.3: Wearing Rate Over Time 32 Figure 4.4: Wearing Rate by Time of Day 35 Figure 4.5: Wearing Rates by Age 37 Arup Transportation Planning EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Major componen~ of the study may be summarised as follows: -. Arup Transportation Planning was appointed by Vic Roads to: test and refine the methodology for the study of restraint use on rural open roads through a pilot study collect seat belt usage information at fifteen rural Victorian open road (highway) locations PILOT STUDY the pilot study was undertaken during November/December 1989 at six open road locations; three service stations and three construction sites both seat belt usage data and driver profile data was collected at each type of location the construction sites gave higher sampling rates of passing traffic than did the service stations significantly different seat belt usage patterns were observed at the two types of survey location although the vehicle profile at both sites was similar, the driver profile differed considerably it was concluded that it would be inappropriate to use service stations to gather representative usage information for open road sites it was recommended that the main surveys be conducted at construction sites MAIN SURVEYS the main surveys were conducted at construction sites (as recommended in the pilot study) and at open road (highway) T intersections (when suitable construction sites were not available) 28,594 vehicles were observed over all sites. 48,798 usable occupant observations were recorded approximately 70% of passing traffic On the direction being surveyed during the period of the surveys) was sampled overall, 95.7% of occupants were observed to be wearing seat belts. Overall wearing rates at particular sites varied between 89.0% and 98.9% lower wearing rates appeared to occur more often on roads with lower traffic volumes over the period of the survey, overall wearing rates were observed to have increased Arup Transportation Planning ii significant differences in seat belt wearing rates occurred with seating position. Drivers and those passengers in the front left seat wore seat belts at a higher rate than other vehicle oa;:upants occupants of seats fitted with inertia reel belts wore them at a higher rate than occupants of seats fitted with static belts. Where child restraints were installed, they were worn at a higher than average rate wearing rates in cars and station wagons were higher than wearing rates in utilities and vans wearing rates did not show much variation with time of day although the weekend sample was relatively small it appears that wearing rates on weekends are slightly higher than wearing rates on weekdays major variations in wearing rates were observed with age. Higher then average wearing rates were observed amongst very young children. Rates were lowest amongst 5 to 7 year olds, but rose progressively with age group for older occupants wearing rates for females were slightly higher than for males in comparison with the most recent Victorian rural town surveys (FORS 1990) it appears that overall seat belt wearing rates on rural open roads are similar to wearing rates in rural towns.