The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) has been making observations of seat belt usage in an uninterrupted series since 1983. Apart from a few exceptions, usage has increased every year. The most prominent increase has been in seat belt usage of rear seat passengers. Since 1983, seat belt usage in the front seat has remained on a high and consistent level, 91 % in 2002 compared with about 85 % in 1983. When the series of measurements began, only 10 % of all adults in the rear seat used a belt; now the level is 70 %. Today, 90 % of all children in the rear seat use a belt. Women are generally more likely to use a belt than men, and older people more than younger. Since October 1 1999, the law on using a seat belt has also applied to drivers of taxis and heavy vehicles. In the study carried out during 2002, nearly 70 % of all taxi drivers used a seat belt. Among drivers of heavy vehicles without and with a trailer, 23 % and 33 % respectively used a seat belt in 2002.