Use of Telephone Surveys to Determine Awareness of Tennessee’s Child Passenger Protection Law

Philpot, John W.; Heathington, Kenneth W.; Sontag, Dianne B.; Culler, Carol J.; Cunningham, Jo Lynn · 1980 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report evaluates the effectiveness of public information and education (PI&E) campaigns regarding Tennessee’s Child Passenger Protection Law, which took effect in January 1978. The legislation required parents or guardians to restrain children under four years of age in federally approved child restraint devices (CRDs) or hold them in their arms. The study was motivated by the high rate of child injuries and fatalities in motor vehicle accidents and the need to determine whether promotional efforts successfully increased public awareness of the new law. The research aimed to compare the impact of two distinct promotional strategies: a "basic state plan" involving low-profile distribution of materials and a "comprehensive plan" featuring intensive media campaigns, including television, radio, and outdoor advertising. The researchers conducted telephone surveys across six target areas in Tennessee—five urban centers and one rural area—over a two-year period. These surveys were designed to measure levels of public awareness and identify the primary sources of information for respondents. The study compared awareness levels between the general population and parents of children under four, as well as between areas receiving the basic plan versus those receiving the comprehensive plan. The methodology allowed for longitudinal analysis, tracking changes in awareness from baseline data collected before the law’s implementation through semiannual surveys thereafter. The findings indicated that approximately 70 percent of the general public reported some awareness of the law, while awareness among the targeted group of parents of children under four was significantly higher, reaching approximately 90 percent. The comprehensive PI&E plan resulted in significantly greater increases in awareness compared to the basic state plan. Furthermore, sustained comprehensive efforts yielded higher awareness levels than initial stages of the campaign. Television was the most effective source of information, accounting for 40 percent of awareness in the general public, followed by newspapers (27 percent) and conversations with friends and relatives (11 percent). Radio was more effective in rural areas (12 percent) than urban areas (5 percent), while billboards and printed materials had negligible impacts. Awareness was also strongly correlated with CRD ownership. The study concludes that long-term, comprehensive public information and education programs are essential for increasing awareness of child passenger safety laws, particularly among parents. The results highlight the superiority of mass media, specifically television, in disseminating legal information compared to low-profile distribution methods. The findings suggest that to maximize compliance and safety, promotional efforts must be intensive, sustained, and tailored to reach parents through high-impact channels. This report provides empirical evidence supporting the integration of robust media campaigns into legislative enforcement strategies for child passenger protection.

Key finding

The comprehensive public information and education plan produced significantly greater increases in public awareness of the child passenger protection law compared to the basic state plan, and awareness was significantly related to child restraint device ownership.

Methodology

survey

Provenance

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Topics

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• child passenger safety
• seat belt use

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence