If the numbers don’t show the necessity for enforcement, nothing will.

Changing the current law to make seat belt compliance the primary reason to stop a driver would go a long way to keep the usage percentage high all the time. With a recent campaign now over, it would be interesting to do another study in a month to determine if there was a lasting effect of the recent effort.

Short-term enforcement or making changes to the law generally doesn’t work in the long run, though. If officers aren’t able to make seat belt usage stops, human nature dictates the majority of people will likely slip back to their old ways, in this case to not wearing their seat belts.

Changing people's minds about the importance of wearing a seat belt through an intense education campaign is the answer to ensuring everyone buckles up.