Awareness and Availability of Child Passenger Safety Information Resources

Child restraint systems (CRSs) are an effective method to reduce the risk of child injury in motor vehicle crashes. Research indicates that hands-on instruction demonstrating the installation and use of CRSs is effective in reducing misuse of CRSs. Child passenger safety technicians (CPSTs) currently provide one-on-one instruction on the proper use and installation of CRSs at thousands of child car seat inspection stations nationwide. The primary objective of the Awareness and Availability of Child Passenger Safety Information Resources (AACPSIR) survey was to estimate the degree of awareness parents and caregivers have of CPST inspection stations. The researchers recruited a nationally representative sample of caregivers who drove children regularly. Key data analysis methods included descriptive analyses, cross-tabulation analyses, weighted linear regression or logistic regression analyses, and causality analysis to determine the effects of distance on the use of child car seat inspection stations. In addition, exploratory linked analysis to the National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS) data was conducted to examine the relationships among selected AACPSIR outcome variables and selected explanatory variables from the AACPSIR and NSUBS data. The study found that two-thirds of adults who drove children on a regular basis had heard of inspection stations (67%). Drivers who transport children frequently indicated they were confident their CRSs were installed correctly. However, the AACPSIR survey found that 19 percent of children were not riding in the correct CRS for their height and weight. There were higher rates of improper selection in the 2- to 3-year and the 8- to 9-year age groups than among other ages.

• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/54283
• Corporate Authors:

  Westat

  1600 Research Boulevard
  Rockville, MD  United States  20850-3129

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Levi, Sharon
  • Lee, Hyunshik
  • Ren, Weijia
  • Polson, Adele
  • McCloskey, Shawn
• Publication Date: 2020-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 204p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Child restraint systems; Information dissemination; Inspection; Safety education; Traffic crashes; Vehicle safety
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01764727
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT HS 813 035
• Contract Numbers: DTNH2215C00038
• Files: HSL, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 11 2021 9:28AM