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CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Use of Child Safety Seats: Laws Mandating Use

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Child safety seat laws require children riding in motor vehicles to be restrained in federally approved infant or child safety seats. Requirements vary by states based on a child's age, weight, height, or a combination of these factors. Enforcement guidelines and penalties also vary, but all such laws allow drivers to be stopped for failing to place children in safety seats as required under the law.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends child safety seat laws based on strong evidence of their effectiveness in increasing child safety seat use.

Results / Accomplishments

Results from the Systematic Reviews:
Nine studies qualified for the review.

• Fatal injuries: median decrease of 35% (interquartile range: 25% to 57% decrease; 3 studies)
• Fatal and non fatal injuries combined: median decrease of 17% (interquartile range: 11% to 36% decrease; 5 studies)
• Observed child safety seat use: median increase of 13 percentage points (interquartile range: 5 to 35 percentage points; 3 studies)
• Among the studies that evaluated the laws' effects on injury rates, researchers found no differences in the effect size based on the age of children who were required to be in safety seats.

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
The Community Guide
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS E69
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/
Topics
Health / Prevention & Safety
Community / Transportation
Community / Governance
Source
Community Guide Branch Epidemiology and Analysis Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Location
USA
For more details
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/motor-v...
Target Audience
Children, Families

Related Promising Practices

  1. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Use of Child Safety Seats: Community-Wide Information and Enhanced Enforcement Campaigns
  2. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Use of Child Safety Seats: Distribution and Education Programs
  3. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Use of Child Safety Seats: Incentive and Education Programs
  4. Safety Stop: Child Passenger Safety Education

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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