[tptacek]

In only one state in the US are seatbelts not mandatory for adults (New Hampshire). Otherwise, the only differences are between states in which you can be pulled over for being observed not wearing a seatbelt (the "primary enforcement" states) and those in which you can only be issued a seatbelt ticket after being pulled over for some other reason.

I also think the road and car quality questions are up for debate.

[grecy]

Aren't there a lot of states where back seat passengers don't have to wear seat belts, and people can ride in the back of pick-ups etc.

Obviously road and car quality are up for debate, but once you spend some time driving around Europe in European cars, you'll see what I mean.

[tptacek]

For every 1 passenger killed in the US, almost 3 drivers are killed. Given that the mean occupancy per car in the US is something between 1.3 and 1.7, it seems very unlikely that back seat restraints are a significant contributor to these statistics.

[grecy]

It's exactly that kind of thinking that explains why road deaths in the US are high (the original topic of this thread).

Whenever a stat says something interesting that could be improved about America, it seems Americans find a way of dismissing the data as "not really appropriate for reasons x,y,z", thus leaving the original problem unimproved.

[tptacek]

I'm sorry, 'grecy, I've been dismissive of you in this thread, but I simply don't understand what you're trying to say here. It is evident from the statistics that lack of mandatory rear passenger seat belts are probably not a significant cause of death in the US.

If you're just trying to make a case that we should mandate rear passenger seatbelts, I'm not arguing with you. I'm talking about life expectancy stats.