The effect of seat belt legislation on a district general hospital.

The introduction of legislation making the use of seat belts compulsory was associated with a marked reduction in the number of patients coming to the Accident and Emergency Department of a district general hospital as a result of road traffic accidents. Those patients who were not wearing seat belts required hospital admission twice as often as restrained car occupants. The only deaths occurring during the period of study occurred in those not using seat belts. Rear seat passengers were found to suffer from more severe and more numerous injuries than restrained car occupants. Injuries caused by seat belts were seen, usually causing bruising of the chest wall or minor fractures, and, excluding the chest, those wearing seat belt were less likely to suffer an injury to any part of the body than those not protected by a belt.