Ron Van Houten, J. E. Louis Malenfant, John Austin, & Angie Lebbon (2005).
The effects of a seatbelt-gearshift delay prompt on the seatbelt use of motorists who do not regularly wear seatbelts.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
38, 195-203
A seatbelt-gearshift delay was evaluated in two U.S. and three Canadian
vehicles using a reversal design. The seatbelt-gearshift delay required
unbelted drivers either to buckle their seatbelts or to wait a specified
time before they could put the vehicle in gear. After collecting
behavioral prebaseline data, a data logger was installed in all five
vehicles to collect automated data on seatbelt use. Next the seatbelt-gearshift
delay was introduced. The results showed that the delay increased all 5
drivers' seatbelt use, and that the duration of the delay that produced
relatively consistent seatbelt use varied across drivers from 5 to 20 s.
When the device was deactivated in four of the five vehicles, behavior
returned to baseline levels.
DESCRIPTORS: seat belt use, safety belt use, response cost, seat belt-shift delay, data logger, reinforcement delay, time out