MANDATORY CHILD RESTRAINT LAWS: IMPACT ON CHILDHOOD INJURIES DUE TO TRAFFIC CRASHES

Research has indicated that laws requiring use of restraint devices for young children traveling in automobiles have had significant effects in increasing restraint use and reducing crash-related childhood injuries. This study examined dimensions along which the effectiveness of Michigan's April 1982 mandatory child restraint law varied. All children involved in motor vehicle crashes in Michigan from January 1978 through December 1982 were analyzed using multivariate intervention analysis methods. Research revealed that the effectiveness of the law in reducing childhood injuries was primarily due to reductions in less severe injuries occurring in crashed vehicles experiencing low to moderate levels of damage. Furthermore, the mechanism for the law's effects was not simply an increase in restraint use. In addition, the number of children riding in the more dangerous front-seat and cargo-area positions apparently decreased following implementation of the law, with children increasingly riding in the safer rear-seat position.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1800052
• Corporate Authors:

  National Safety Council

  444 North Michigan Avenue
  Chicago, IL  United States  60611
• Authors:
  • Wagenaar, A C
• Publication Date: 1985

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 9-21
• Serial:
  • Journal of Safety Research
  • Volume: 16
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0022-4375
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00224375

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Child restraint systems; Injuries; Laws; Measures of effectiveness; Multivariate analysis
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00452260
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-038 701
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 31 1986 12:00AM