The use of safety restraint systems in Virginia by occupants under 16 years of age : Summer 1997.

Stoke, Charles B · 1998 · ROSA P / Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC)

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Summary

This technical assistance report evaluates the usage of safety restraint systems by children under 16 in Virginia during the summer of 1997. The study was motivated by the transfer of the state’s child safety seat program to the Virginia Department of Health and the implementation of new laws requiring rear-seat occupants aged 4 to 16 to use seat belts. The research aimed to establish a baseline for compliance with these statutes and to continue a longitudinal survey of child safety seat use that began in 1993. The methodology involved observational surveys conducted at 34 sites in four metropolitan areas and seven sites in three mid-size cities (Charlottesville, Danville, and Lynchburg). Trained observers recorded data at signalized intersections during four daily time periods. They categorized child safety seat use for occupants under age 4 as correct, incorrect, or non-use based on visible features such as harness clipping and belt routing. Additionally, they recorded seat belt use for occupants aged 4 to 16 and assessed the proper use of booster seats. The study observed 565 child safety seats, 1,978 occupants aged 4 to 16, and 59 booster seats. The findings revealed significant regional and age-based disparities in compliance. For children under 4 in metropolitan areas, the correct use rate was 54.1%, while non-use was 28.5%. The western metropolitan area exhibited the poorest performance, with a 50.0% non-use rate and only 32.1% correct use. Mid-size cities showed lower compliance than metropolitan areas, with a 42.0% non-use rate and 43.2% correct use; Danville had the highest non-use rate at 61.9%. Compliance for older children (ages 4–16) was markedly lower. In metropolitan areas, 62.9% of rear-seat occupants in this age group did not use restraints, with the western area reaching 69.3% non-use. Mid-size cities fared worse, with 72.3% non-use, including an 84.7% non-use rate in Danville. Conversely, booster seats were used correctly in 83.1% of observed cases. Longitudinal data indicated that while non-use for young children decreased slightly since 1996, incorrect use rates nearly doubled. The report concludes that Virginia’s child passenger safety program faces substantial challenges, particularly regarding the new law for older children and persistent non-use in western regions and mid-size cities. The authors recommend initiating research to identify the causes of low compliance and high misuse rates. They advocate for targeted public information campaigns, specialized enforcement efforts for rear-seat occupants aged 4 to 16, and continuous education initiatives to address the changing demographics of the target population.

Key finding

Non-use of safety restraints was 62.9% for occupants aged 4 to 16 in metropolitan areas and 72.3% in mid-size cities, while correct child safety seat use for children under 4 was 54.1% in metropolitan areas and 43.2% in mid-size cities.

Methodology

field_study

Sample size: 2523

Provenance

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Topics

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• child passenger safety
• seat belt use

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence