The ultimate measure of the effectiveness of New York State's Mandatory Occupant Restraint Law is its impact on the number of fatalities and injuries resulting from traffic crashes. Using data from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' automated accident file, analyses were conducted to determine whether the pattern of injuries and fatalities sustained by these occupants in 1985, the first year of the law's implementation, differed from a baseline period prior to the law.

Based on a comparison of the 1985 actual injury/fatality pattern with the pattern that would have been expected without the law, it is estimated that 220 fewer persons were killed in 1985. In addition, approximately 3,500 fewer occupants sustained serious injuries, 11,400 fewer occupants sustained moderate injuries, and 470 fewer occupants received minor injuries, while the number of uninjured occupants increased by 15,600.

The estimated savings in fatalities were comparable to those anticipated, based on the estimated effectiveness of safety belts and the usage rates prior to and after implementation of the law.