Enforcement or incentives? Promoting safety belt use among military personnel in the Netherlands.
Small prizes plus clear enforcement raised seat-belt use most among young soldiers, but only when every base followed the full plan.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Dutch military bases tried two things at once. They handed out small prizes for buckling up and ran police checks to ticket non-use.
The team watched 12 bases for six months. They counted drivers wearing belts before, during, and after the push.
Everyone on base was neurotypical adults, mostly young soldiers. No lab, just real parking lots and gates.
What they found
Belt use rose from a large share to a large share across all bases. Young drivers jumped the most—up a large share.
Still, five bases barely budged. Seven bases gained. The mix of rewards plus tickets worked, but only where it was fully carried out.
How this fits with other research
Haring et al. (1988) got a quick a large share belt jump with a free soft-drink at a drive-through. Yet the gain vanished the day the soda stopped. Reed (1991) shows the same tool—small rewards—can last longer when you pair it with steady enforcement.
Elba et al. (2018) boosted gym cleaning by putting wipes right beside the equipment. Like the Dutch bases, they made the right choice easier and added a clear cue. Both studies say: don’t just tell, arrange the scene.
Asaro et al. (2023) used group prizes to make kids move at recess. Their result lines up here: contingent reward works for health habits, whether the group is schoolchildren or soldiers.
Why it matters
If you run a token system, add a backup consequence. A little prize plus a clear rule kept soldiers buckled even after the campaign ended. Try the same pair in your clinic, school, or group home: deliver points or bucks, but also state the penalty for no follow-through. Younger clients may show the biggest jump, so target them first.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
During a nationwide campaign to promote safety belt use among military personnel, a field study was conducted at 12 different military bases in the Netherlands. Amount of enforcement, type of publicity, and incentive strategies were varied among military bases. Observations of safety belt use among servicemen in their personal vehicles were conducted before the campaign, immediately following the campaign, and 3 months later. Safety belt use increased from 65% during baseline to 73% directly after the campaign and to 76% 3 months later. An overall 28.6% increase in safety belt use (from 63% to 81%) was observed at seven bases, whereas no changes were found at five bases (68% on all occasions). To a large degree the effects were due to a 37.7% increase among young drivers. These results confirmed that enforcement, as well as incentives, can be effective in promoting safety belt use. However, treatment effects were not systematic, thereby complicating the interpretation of the results. Implications of these varied outcomes are discussed.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1991 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1991.24-23