Seat belt use and automobile safety counseling by pediatricians

Safety restraints have proven effective in the prevention of serious automobile injuries and deaths, but safety education has been ineffective in getting consumers to use restraints. We surveyed the personal and counseling practices of a group of pediatricians over a one-year period to determine whether prenatal and postpartum safety education of parents influenced the pediatricians' own use of car restraints and their counseling practices. Seventy-two percent of participating pediatricians reported that they always or often wore restraints, but usage had not increased at the conclusion of the study. Seventy percent of pediatricians stated that they provided safety counseling in the prenatal and postpartum periods and during health examinations. There was a strong correlation between personal seat belt usage and frequency of counseling.