A Direct Observation of the Use of Child Safety Seats in Metropolitan Areas of Virginia During Summer 1993

Book excerpt: Observational surveys of child safety seat use were conducted at the request of the Transportation Safety Administration of the Department of Motor Vehicles. The present survey was conducted in the four areas of the state with the largest populations. The data were categorized as correct use, incorrect use, and no use for each seat position in the car for children judged by the survey team to require safety seats under state law. Correct child seat use was higher (51.6%) in the rear seats of cars than in the front seats (40.8%). For the entire car, only 48.9% of the children were in a correctly used child seat, 33.6% of the child occupants were not in a safety seat, and 17.5% of the seats were obviously misused. The data also showed variations in the pattern of use among the four areas of the state. The rate of incorrect use was probably underestimated by this survey. There is a need to address the problems of non-use and incorrect use through increased education and enforcement efforts on the part of the state and localities.