research >> Child Passenger and bicycle Safety (Occupant protection)

completed

Two major projects have concerned protocols for observational surveys to measure the use of child safety devices and evaluations related to the 2002-2004 Child Passenger Safety Initiative.

Seat Belt, Child Safety Seat and Bicycle Helmet Survey Methodology Development Project

The TSC developed protocols for conducting roadside observational surveys of child safety seat, seat belt, and bicycle helmet use.

TSC Resources

The TSC developed workbooks and guidelines for conducting surveys, which are posted on the Web site of the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), which funded the work.

California Child Passenger Safety Initiative (CPSI)

CPSI was launched in 2002 for 18 months to increase knowledge of and compliance with the then-new California child passenger safety seat law. It was intended to increase the use (and decrease the misuse) of child restraint systems among the most vulnerable children in California, i.e., children of color and children living in poverty. The CPSI targeted families who use public medical services at selected sites. The TSC conducted various studies:

A pre-intervention baseline study found that only about 80% of participants report that they always use a CPS system, more than 30% of children are not placed in restraints appropriate for their age and weight, and that many children are improperly fastened or the systems are improperly fastened to the vehicle.

An evaluation compared pre- and post-intervention data for families with children age six and younger. Although the results of this study were mixed, dramatic increases in the use of certain child restraints and decreases in the misuse of others were observed.

TSC Resources

Pre-Intervention Assessment: UC Davis Medical Center and California Health Care Safety Net Institute Child Passenger Safety Initiative
Jill F. Cooper, Kara E. MacLeod, David R. Ragland, TSC, Wendy Jameson, California Health Care Safety Net Institute. TSC Research Report. (2002)

Evaluation of the California Child Passenger Safety Initiative
Jill F. Cooper, Kara E. MacLeod, David R. Ragland. TSC Research Report. (2004)

Keeping Children Safe in Cars
Jill F. Cooper. ACCESS magazine, Number 24, Spring 2004.

"Evaluation of the California Child Passenger Safety Initiative."
David R. Ragland, Jill F. Cooper, Kara E. MacLeod. Presented at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. January 2005. Requires PowerPoint™ to view.

"Child passenger safety evaluation: A public hospital-based research project" Jill F. Cooper, Kara E. MacLeod, David R. Ragland. (2003). Paper.

"Making Child Safety Seats Part of a Prescription for Good Health" TSC Online Newsletter. December 2002.

"The 'Forgotten Child' Is Getting Some Attention at Last: Booster seats now the law in some states." TSC Online Newsletter. December 2002.

California Child Restraint Law (PDF). Posted 2002.