CULTURAL CONTEXT AND THE IMPACT OF TRAFFIC SAFETY LEGISLATION: THE RECEPTION OF MANDATORY SEATBELT LAWS IN YUGOSLAVIA AND ILLINOIS

Abstract

In 1985, laws mandating the wearing of automobile seatbelts went into effect in Illinois and in Yugoslavia. Although the form of the legislation was similar in both jurisdictions, the public response to the laws was very different in the two societies. In Illinois, there was public opposition, a protracted legal challenge to the law, and minimal enforcement by the police. In Yugoslavia, there was no public or legal challenge to the law yet strict enforcement. Compliance, however, was much greater in America than in Yugoslavia. Since previous studies of the impact of seatbelt laws in the United States and in other countries had found patterns of compliance that were similar to those in Illinois, the Yugoslav situation is anomalous. This unexpected finding raises questions concerning the importance of cultural context on the effectiveness of seatbelt laws, on the basic views of law in the two societies, on problems in testing deterrence theory cross-culturally, and on the problems and benefits of comparative research on the impact of legislation.