A community health education approach to occupant protection.

The goal of enhancing motor vehicle occupant protection is vital to the public's health. Controversies about passive versus active protection and voluntary versus mandatory measures continue. A program which employed a combination of positive reinforcements (incentives) and wide-scale community education succeeded in raising the community seat belt usage rate from 24 to 41% in 6 months. This rate was sustained at 36% at six-month follow-up. This article reviews the major features of the "Seat Belts Pay Off" campaign and its evaluation and considers both theoretical and pragmatic issues pertinent to replicating the program in other community settings.