Proper Seat Placement of Children Aged 12 or Younger Within Vehicles: A Rural/Urban Comparison

Seating children in the rear of vehicles has been shown to decrease the odds of being fatally injured in a motor vehicle crash by 36% to 40%. Although rear seating is safer, rates of children being front-seated remain high, especially for older children. Few states have enacted legislation regarding child seat placement, and only one state indicates a requirement that children of a certain age be rear-seated regardless of the circumstances. While differences in traffic safety between rural and urban areas have been extensively researched, only one other known study has been conducted on rural/urban differences in child seat placement. In this paper, rural and urban differences in child seat placement within vehicles are analyzed. The objective of this research was to determine if rural/urban differences in child seat placement exist. Based on a small sample of vehicles observed at urban and rural elementary schools in North Dakota, the results of this study indicate that there are significant rural/urban differences in child seat placement. Nearly one-third of overall vehicles observed had children seated in the front seat. Significant urban/rural differences exist in child seat placement, with children in rural areas much more likely to be front-seated than children in urban areas. Differences also exist among vehicle type, with children riding in pickup trucks more likely to be front-seated than children in any other type of vehicle. Overall, parents were aware that seating a child in the rear of a vehicle is safer.

• Record URL:
  https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=667
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/18390
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute

  North Dakota State University
  1320 Albrecht Boulevard
  Fargo, ND  United States  581052

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  Office of University Programs, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Huseth, Andrea
• Publication Date: 2010-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 53p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Children; Fatalities; Front seat occupants; Highway safety; Rear seat occupants; Rural areas; Urban areas
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01325023
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MPC Report No. 10-227
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 14 2011 10:20AM