Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference, 2000, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Paper

Properly used and secured child restraints reduce the risk of death and injury in a motor vehicle crash by about 70%. However, past research indicates that over 70% of restraints in Victoria are not correctly installed. Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) commissioned a market research survey of parents to ascertain their attitudes and beliefs about the selection, fitting and installation of child restraints. Over 400 parents with children aged under 6 years old were surveyed. Results from the survey indicated that parents generally install child restraints themselves and believe that the installation of the restraint is the easiest aspect of fitting a restraint. This is alarming when more than two out of every three restraints are incorrectly installed. To promote awareness of child restraint issues, a campaign was developed to encourage parents/guardians to: - have their child restraints professionally fitted - ensure that the children are in the appropriate restraint for their size and weight - ensure that the restraint is always done up. Results from the market research, campaign details and initial findings are discussed in this paper.