The appropriate and inappropriate use of child restraint seats in Manitoba

Abstract

The objective of this research was to describe the use and incorrect use of child restraint systems in Manitoba, Canada. In 2004, a team of inspectors made up of Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers and trained car seat technicians from the Manitoba child seat coalition conducted a descriptive survey of types and frequency of child restraint systems' incorrect use. The setting was 10 roadside inspection sites located around the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The subjects were parents and primary caregivers of children using child restraint systems. The main outcome measured was the reported appropriate use rate as determined by the compliance to safety standards for correct installation and use of child restraints. A total of 340 child restraint systems were assessed. The overall rate of incorrect use was 70%. The errors present in stage III systems (booster seats) are much lower than the errors present in stage I systems (rear-facing child safety seats) and stage II systems (forward-facing child safety seats). The data presented illustrate that incorrect use of child restraint systems in the province of Manitoba is a large problem and must be dealt with immediately in order to ensure child safety now and in the future. Community-wide information and enhanced enforcement campaigns, consisting of activities such as mass media, information and publicity, child restraint systems displays and special enforcement strategies (check points, dedicated law enforcement officials, alternative penalties) should be used to increase the correct use of child restraint systems. Failure to use child restraint systems properly can contribute to serious injury or death of a child.

The Impact of New Legislation on Child Restraint System (CRS) Misuse and Inappropriate Use in Australia

“…Of all of the CRS inspected, the majority (79%) were reported as having at least one instance of misuse and/or inappropriate use. This finding is consistent with findings reported previously (Blair et al 2008;Brown, Hatfield, et al 2010b;Decina and Knoebel 1997;Decina and Lococo 2005;Glanvill 2000;Koppel and Charlton 2009;Taft et al 1999).…”

“…Though the current study did not observe any children with the harness unbuckled, the harness straps were twisted, poorly adjusted, and/or incorrectly positioned in more than one quarter (41%) of the CRS observed. The high frequency of harness errors is consistent with previous research (Blair et al 2008;Brown, Hatfield, et al 2010a;Decina and Lococo 2005;Eby and Kostyniuk 1999). As Visvikis et al (2003) noted, any errors associated with the harness are likely to increase the amount of slack in the CRS and, therefore, in the event of a crash, head excursion would be greater, increasing the likelihood of contact with the interior of the vehicle.…”

A comparison of booster seat use in Canadian provinces with and without legislation

“…It has been estimated that with 100% booster seat use, the number of deaths and hospitalisations among children aged 4–7 years could be reduced by approximately 50% over a five-year period 9. Booster seats are relatively easy to install and the rates of misuse are substantially lower than for child restraint systems for younger children 10. Despite this, only 4.5% of Canadian children aged 5–9 years were restrained using booster seats in 1997 11.…”

Erros da utilização de assentos de segurança infantil por usuários de creches na cidade de Maringá, Paraná

“…Outra pesquisa canadense atestou 32% de ASI inadequadamente usados120 . Ainda no Canadá estudo baseado em inspeção veicular por agentes treinados evidenciou índice de 70% de erros de utilização17 . dos ocupantes do veículo por coletores treinados e aplicação de questionário rápido ao condutor, visando apenas saber idade e peso das crianças.Ambos os estudos não foram capazes de afirmar sobre a adequação de instalação do ASI ao veículo.…”

“…Arbogast e cols 5 ,. em estudo sobre a efetividade de prevenção do ASI instalados de frente para o painel do veículo em crianças entre 12 e 47 meses, atestaram que 80% do ASI analisados apresentavam erros de utilização, sendo quase 6% caracterizados como erros grosseiros, a saber, não ancoragem do ASI ao veículo ou não utilização das alças de contenção.Todos estes estudos5,17,73,114 foram executados por examinadores habilitados, através de metodologia intervencionista, evidenciando a importância deste método de pesquisa para atestar a correta utilização de ASI.Dados publicados na literatura nacional e internacional atestam que crianças menores de 12 meses são as que apresentam maiores chances de utilização de ASI22,39,47,52,90,93,138 . No presente estudo, mesmo com maior frequência de utilização de ASI, as chances de erro quanto à direção de instalação de ASI foram elevadas para crianças da classe 0 (OR = 20,36 para análise univariada e OR = 13,75 para regressão logística, ambas com p<0,01).…”