Safety restraints for children travelling in motor vehicles

The parents of 202 children were questioned about their use of safety restraints for their children while they were passengers in a motor vehicle. The result of the survey shows a low incidence of use of safety restraints by both parents and their children and that the type used for children was, in the majority of cases, both inadequate and dangerous. There was a correlation between the use of safety restraints by both parent and child on the day of questioning, but no association was found between the use of these restraints and the social class, educational standard achieved, income group, home language or home province of the parents. Neither was there any association between the use of safety restraints and a history of previous traffic accidents which had involved the family or close friends. In South Africa, the number of deaths in childhood as a result of motor vehicle accidents exceed those from the same cause in the United Kingdom. We consider that the medical profession in this country should inform the public of the desirability of fitting and using safety restraints of the correct type for children while they are passengers in motor vehicles. Reasons for the high incidence of serious injuries to children who are passengers in motor vehicles are reviewed and the methods of restraining children of different ages are discussed.