Final Assignment

Documentation for Seatbelts Data

Seatbelts is a balanced panel from 50 U.S. States, plus the District of Columbia, for the

years 1983-1997. These data were provided by Professor Liran Einav of Stanford

University and were used in his paper with Alma Cohen: “The Effects of Mandatory Seat

Belt Laws on Driving Behavior and Traffic Fatalities,” The Review of Economics and

Statistics, 2003, Vol. 85, No. 4, pp 828-843

Variable Definitions Variable Definition

fatalityrate Number of fatalities per million of traffic miles sb_usage Seat belt usage rate speed65 Binary variable for 65 mile per hour speed limit speed70 Binary variable for 70 or higher mile per hour speed limit ba08 Binary variable for blood alcohol limit ≤ .08% drinkage21 Binary variable for age 21 drinking age income Per capita income age Mean age primary Binary variable for primary enforcement of seat belt laws secondary Binary variable for secondary enforcement of seat belt laws vmt Millions of traffic miles per year. (Note: Number of fatalities =

fatalityratevmt) state State year Year fips State ID Code