Abstract
The benefits of seatbelting outweigh the risks, but voluntary usage tends to be poor. We have surveyed 456 Saudi nationals in the Eastern Province. The rates of voluntary seatbelting were as follows: male vs females 19.4% vs 8% (p < 0.05), drivers vs passengers 19.4% vs 8.1% (p < 0.02). However, there was no statistical difference between young and old, and between the barely literate and the educated. Complacency was the commonest (> 80%) reason for non-seatbelting, < 3% thought seatbelts harmful, and, > 90% thought that seatbelt legislation would be right or useful. We conclude that these data are encouraging, and would suggest general acceptance of seatbelt legislation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.