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Child passenger safety: decisions about seating location, airbag exposure, and restraint use
R J Glass1, M Segui-Gomez, J D Graham
1Center for Risk Analysis, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. robertaglass@earthlink.net
Insights
Child safety in cars is improved by using proper restraints and rear seating. Passenger airbags increase fatality risk for children, especially unrestrained ones, highlighting the need for rear seat placement.
Area of Science:
- Traffic Safety Research
- Pediatric Injury Prevention
- Automotive Safety Engineering
Background:
- Passenger-side airbags in vehicles present challenges for child safety.
- Recommendations exist for children to occupy rear seats with proper restraints.
- Decisions regarding child restraint, seating position, and airbag exposure are critical.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the optimal choices for minimizing child fatality risk in motor vehicle crashes.
- To analyze the impact of passenger-side airbags on child occupant safety.
- To evaluate the combined effects of restraint use, seating location, and airbag presence.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of fatal vehicle crashes involving child passengers (under 13) from 1989-1998 (U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System).
- Estimation of passenger-side airbag and rear seating effectiveness using the double-pair comparison method.
- Logistic regression modeling to assess fatality risk across different age, restraint, and seating scenarios.
Main Results:
- Passenger airbags increased child fatality risk by 31% for restrained and 84% for unrestrained children.
- Passenger airbags showed a protective effect for restrained children aged 9-12.
- Restraint use and rear seating significantly reduced the odds of child fatalities.
Conclusions:
- To minimize child fatality risk, seat children in the rear of the vehicle using appropriate restraints.
- These safety measures are particularly crucial in vehicles equipped with passenger airbags.
- Findings support existing public education campaigns promoting rear seating and restraints for children.
Abstract:
The installation of passenger-side airbags in new vehicles complicates efforts to maximize child safety in motor vehicle crashes. It has been recommended by both public and private organizations that children sit in the rear seat with proper restraint to achieve maximum safety. Drivers now need to decide whether a child should be restrained, where the child should be seated (front versus rear), and whether the child should be seated in front of a passenger-side airbag. This research was undertaken to determine which choice minimizes the risk of fatality to children. Using data from the U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System for calendar years 1989 to 1998, fatal vehicle crashes with child passengers younger than 13 years were analyzed. The effectiveness of passenger-side airbags and rear seating for children, by age category and restraint use, was estimated using the double-pair comparison method. For each of four age categories, the fatality risk of each possible combination of restraint use, seating location, and airbag presence was also estimated using logistic regression. Passenger airbags were associated with an increase in child fatality risk of 31% for restrained children, and 84% for unrestrained children. Passenger airbags did appear to offer protection to restrained 9- to 12-year-old children. Restraint use and rear seating were associated with statistically significant reductions in the odds of a child dying in a crash. In order to minimize child fatality risk, parents should seat children in the rear of the vehicle while using the proper child restraint system, especially in vehicles with passenger airbags. These findings support current public education efforts in the United States.