Many Child Passenger
Safety Instructions Are Inaccurate or Outdated, Researchers Show
NEWTON, Mass.,
May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Some child passenger safety instructions may
be putting children at risk, a groundbreaking study shows. The study
found significant problems with the content, availability, accuracy,
and appropriateness of educational materials designed to teach adults
how to transport children safely. The study, called "Seated for
Safety," was conducted by researchers at Education Development
Center, a non-profit education research organization, and was funded
by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. (To read the full report,
visit www.aaafoundation.org
.)
The researchers
reviewed more than 400 printed items collected from 101 organizations.
A sample of the materials was evaluated for technical accuracy, cultural
appropriateness, and appropriate reading level. Among the problems the
study found:
a. Most of the
materials were written two or more years ago, and many were out of
date; child passenger safety recommendations have since been revised.
b. Few materials
deal with the safety needs of children ages 6-12.
c.. Many items
did not contain key information, such as the need to put pre-teen
children in the back seat.
d. Most of the
materials were not appropriately field-tested or evaluated.
e. Few of the
materials addressed the needs of high-risk children, including those
from low-income families.
f. Most of the
evaluated materials were available only in English and required above-average
reading skills.
g. Few items dealt
with transporting children with special health care needs or transporting
children in vehicles other than standard passenger cars.
"Our main goal
was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing materials,"
says Julie Ross, a co-author of the study. "We hope our results
will be used to improve the next generation of child passenger safety
resources. Organizations that produce safety materials should have them
reviewed for technical accuracy by child passenger safety experts."
Ross said the instructions should be culturally appropriate for the
intended users and that materials need to be reviewed each year to make
sure they are current and accurate.
Motor vehicle injuries
are the leading cause of death for children age 12 and under. Between
1994 and 1998, 5,500 motor vehicle passengers 12 and under were killed
and 660,000 were injured, according to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Contributing factors included inappropriate restraints;
inappropriate "graduation" to seat belts; and improper seating
position.
"Parents need
to know how to keep their children safe in the family car, and that
means they need good information that they can understand," says
Dr. Scott Osberg, research director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety. "We sponsored this study because of the sad fact that every
day, children die because their parents did not know how to transport
them safely. We need to make sure that child passenger safety information
is clear, understandable, and as free of errors as possible."
The report also
recommended that new materials be developed on specific topics, such
as guidelines for children with special health care needs and children
riding in vans, taxicabs, airport shuttles, buses, and older cars with
lap belts only. Researchers also suggested paying particular attention
to rural areas, where pickup trucks and other vehicles without standard
back seats are common. The report recommended that child passenger safety
information be made more widely available in public places such as libraries,
the Registry of Motor Vehicles, and post offices.
Education Development
Center, Inc. (EDC) is one of the world's leading nonprofit education
and health organizations, with more than 350 projects around the globe.
EDC brings researchers and practitioners together to create tools and
conditions for learning, reaching people of all ages, backgrounds, and
abilities. For more information, visit http://www.edc.org
.
The AAA Foundation
for Traffic Safety is an independent, publicly funded, 501 (c)(3) charitable
research and educational organization founded by the American Automobile
Association in 1947. The AAA Foundation's mission is to prevent traffic
deaths and injuries by conducting research into their cause and by educating
the public about preventive strategies. For more information, visit
the AAA Foundation web site at http://www.aaafoundation.org
SOURCE: AAA Foundation
for Traffic Safety
###
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