The California study presented in this scientific poster was designed to determine factors influencing non-use of child safety seats (CSSs), and to identify and explore child, parent, family psychosocial factors and other domains related to non-use of CSSs. Focus groups ( 2 English, 1 Spanish) were conducted with individuals (N=24 of which 18 were parents and 20 were drivers) ticketed for violation of the federal child restraint law. Of the 24 participants, this was the second ticket for two of them. Several were pulled over by the police for something other than CSS non-use. Factors influencing non-use included: (1) lifestyle circumstances (lack of planning and routine, multiple caregivers, lack of reliable transportation, finding it a bother); (2) circumstances of particular trip (car broke down, unexpectedly getting a ride, car seat in another car); (3) child's behaviour (climbed out of seat, resisting as toddler, mimicking older children); (4) non-parent or non-driver; (5) parenting style (lack of consistency, not set limits; and (6) risks related to CSS non-use not perceived (receiving a ticket, involvement in a crash, short trip, seat belt adequate). For these non-users, the competing factors identified in the focus groups outweighed the benefits of CSS use. There was premature use of seat belts for toddlers. These findings have implications not only for CSS use, but also for use of other injury prevention devices.
Abstract