Motor-vehicle safety is among the top 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century according to the CDC—and laws requiring seat belt use and child safety seats are among the reasons why.
The majority of Iowans understand the importance of restraining their children, but there is still some work to do.
To measure compliance of Iowa’s Child Passenger Safety law, a team from the UI IPRC observed cars and conducted surveys at gas stations and fast food restaurants across the state this summer as part of the Child Passenger Safety survey, which we have conducted annually since 1996. See our latest report.
See our new infographic: Are Iowan children buckled up?
What the 2016 survey found: About 93% of all observed children were restrained in a seat belt. When accounting for improperly restrained children, this drops to about 92%.
Nearly all (99%) of children age 1 year or younger were properly restrained in a rear-facing safety seat. This did not account for correct restraint use like belt tightness.
We found that as a child’s age increases, he/she is less likely to be restrained.
Among 3,050 children from birth to age 17, proper restraint use was found in:
- 93% of 2 to 5-year-olds
- 93% of 6 to 13-year-olds
- 84% of teens (14 to 17-year-olds)
The right seat: About 5% of 2 to 5-year-olds were restrained only by a seatbelt —an improvement from last year (6%) as well as earlier years (10% in 2012, 8% in 2013). Iowa’s law requires this age group to be restrained in a child safety seat or booster seat.
The back seat: Nearly all of the children in child safety seats and booster seats were placed in the back seat, while 54% of those restrained with only a seat belt were secured in the rear location. Of children not restrained, 30% rode in the front seat – down from 43% in 2015. Safety experts strongly recommend placing all children in the back seat regardless of their age.
We also found a continuing trend of a rural-urban difference: 88% of children in rural areas were properly restrained compared to 93% in urban areas. We observed children in 36 communities—ranging from about 1,400 people to 203,000 (Des Moines).
The survey, which has been conducted since 1988, is funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau within the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
Read the “Ultimate Car Seat Guide” from Safe Kids Worldwide to help parents choose and use the right car seat.
See car seat recommendations by age from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Enter your child’s date of birth, weight and height using NHTSA’s Car Seat Finder.
See the infographic on disparities on child passenger safety.
Published 10/2016