Drivers Buckle Up Except in the Movies

You have the coded microchip and are running toward your convertible, chased by three actors with fashionable facial hair and automatic weapons. You vault the car door, drop into the leather, glare at the camera and--is there time to pull on a safety belt?

There is not. According to a recent survey, even actors in family movies are not big users of seat belts. In the interest of public health, researchers at St. Louis University sat through some 200 of the top-grossing movies released between 1978 and 1998. They coded the movies based on how often the actors riding in front seats used belts. The rate didn’t even top 10% until 1987, when it peaked at 32%, and has fluctuated between 10% and 30% ever since, they reported.

The actors in family movies were about two times more likely to buckle up than those in action, comedy or drama pictures, and women about twice as likely as men to strap themselves in.

But what most surprised the researchers was the difference between the 30% high seen in movies and the rate in day-to-day life--about 70%.

The authors wrote: “Every time a character is shown in a moving vehicle without wearing a seat belt, an opportunity--however subtle--is missed” to affirm the belts’ value.