The introduction of a fine incurred in the case of noncompliance with the belt usage law on August 1, 1984 resulted in a rise of the belt usage rates for all car front seat occupants to above 90% in the Federal Republic of Germany.

At least a 15% reduction in the number of killed car occupants, a reduction of 47% in head injuries and a marked decline in eye injuries caused by contact with the windscreen have been observed since the fine was introduced.

In the Federal Republic of Germany the front seats of all private cars are now equipped with three-point belts. The belt usage law took effect on January 1, 1976 by which the use of belts was made compulsory on the front seats of private cars. Intensive safety campaigns have been launched, but despite these efforts the rates did not go up much above 60%. For that reason the belt legislation was amended on August 1, 1984, introducing a fine of DM 40 incurred in the case of nonuse. Soon thereafter for drivers and front seat passengers the rates rose to an average of more than 90% on all roads and have maintained this high level ever since ( Fig. 1).

The reduction effect of belt usage on the number of killed occupants of private cars compared with the situation without the belt has been repeatedly assessed (e.g.(1), p. 23). However, assessing the true reduction effect of the increased usage rates is difficult;​ e.g., belt use or misuse of injured car occupants is not recorded by police at the scene of accidents in the Federal Republic of Germany. Furthermore, the number of killed car occupants is subject to a variety of factors other than belt usage, e.g., the overall number of injury accidents, depending also on meteorological conditions and the effectiveness of other safety measures.