Car occupants form 64% of all road casualties. In 1997, 211,392 people were killed or injured while travelling in cars. The number of car user casualties has increased over the last decade, whereas the numbers of motorcyclist, pedestrian and pedal cyclist casualties have all fallen. Of the 2,198 car occupants killed in road accidents in 1997, 74 were children, aged 15 years or younger, as were 15,864 of those injured. Children form just 1.5% of casualties who were sitting in the front of a car, but 20% of casualties in the rear of cars. One of the reasons for this high level of child car occupant casualties, is the continuing number of drivers who do not ensure that their child passengers are properly restrained when in the car. In order to ascertain the level of public awareness, knowledge, understanding, belief and attitude about in-car child safety, RoSPA prepared and tested a simple questionnaire survey, encompassing 33 questions. The questionnaire was sent out to households with car insurance renewal forms by Halifax Car Insurance over a six month period between December 1997 and May 1998. The questionnaire focused primarily on: (i) the purchase and use of child restraints; (ii) adult perception of children's ability to use such restraints correctly, with or without their intervention; (iii) the use of adult seat belts by children; and (iv) the behaviour of children in the car. The findings of this questionnaire are presented in this publication and will be used to assist RoSPA with future targeting of information, educational programmes and promotional campaigns. (A)
Abstract