01660880

Component

Over the years, the issue with child protection has shifted from not using any restraint to misusing child seat. Addressing the misuses of child restraint systems (CRSs) is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of CRS. Loose installation was the most common mistakes associated with child safety seats. This study aims to identify parent/caregiver characteristics that are highly associated with loose installation of CRS. A 2.5% of the observed children were not restrained and 5.8% were restrained by seatbelt only. Of the inspected front and rear facing CRSs, 34% (weighted) have lateral movements greater than 1 inch. Parents/caregivers above 39 years, with increase in age, the loose installation of CRS increases. Gender does not have any effect on loose installation of CRS, whereas the race and ethnicity of the parents/caregivers have strong association. Approximately 70% of the parents/caregivers said they learned the need of use of child seat from doctor/nurse/hospital personnel and 49% from the internet. The highly penetrated education type can be used to educate parents/caregivers on ways of installing CRS tightly to leverage the effectiveness of the CRS system.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB45 Standing Committee on Occupant Protection.

18-03304

English

6p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References (22) ; Tables

Child restraint systems; Demographics; Installation; Parents

Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-03304

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 10:48AM