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Introduction
Protecting children when they ride in motor vehicles is the responsibility
of all community members. Nationally, we have done a good
job of getting our very young children (from birth through age 3)
into child safety seats; however, too many children who are 4 to
8 years of age are still riding unrestrained. Although any type
of occupant restraint use is better than riding unprotected, research
has shown that the safest way for 4- to 8-year-old children to ride
is in a booster seat. (Fifth Report to Congress, Third Report to
the President, NHTSA/DOT, March 2003)
During Fiscal Year 2001, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) funded pilot and demonstration projects to implement community-based
strategies to increase booster seat use for children weighing between
40 and 80 pounds.* These projects examined factors
and activities that influence booster seat use. They all involved
community-wide campaigns enhanced by a variety of more targeted
activities, such as the development of classroom materials for elementary
school children and outreach to pediatricians. Project overviews
highlighting key project elements, qualitative research findings
to consider, and programmatic findings and lessons learned are presented
throughout the guide.**
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Using the Guide
This how-to guide, synthesizing the research findings and lessons
learned from the demonstration projects, is for all child passenger
safety (CPS) and injury control advocates. Resources and other best
practices information from CPS and other occupant protection programs
round out the guide to provide a broad view and context for the
promotion of booster seats. Use this information to:
- Determine how to initiate the promotion of booster seats
in your State or community
- Examine factors that can influence the success of your booster
seat
promotional and outreach efforts
- Decide how to best use available resources to promote booster
seat use
- Monitor and evaluate the success of your efforts.
To
read about a wide variety of activities that can be adapted
to promote booster seat use in your community, view and/or order
a copy of NHTSA’s “Fifth Report to Congress, Third Report to
the President: The National Initiative for Increasing Seat Belt
Use.” You can find it on NHTSA’s
web site, www.nhtsa.gov. |
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Integrating Booster Seat Use Into Your
Child Passenger Safety Program
NHTSA's demonstration projects addressed many of the issues
that affect occupant restraint use for all young children. In some
instances, the activities and approaches used in the projects are
identical to those that have been and continue to be used to promote
child safety seats for younger children. Therefore, in addition
to providing important information, lessons learned, and best practices
for promoting booster seat use, the case studies can be used to
expand and enhance current CPS programs.
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NHTSA's National Strategy To Increase Booster
Seat Use
Congressional support for booster seats led to a mandate for NHTSA
to develop a national strategic plan*** to
increase booster seat use among 4- to 8-year-old children. (The
plan can be viewed and ordered from NHTSA's
web site, www.nhtsa.gov.) The
strategic approach of the plan is modeled after NHTSA's Buckle Up
America campaign, which uses (1) public-private partnerships, (2)
strong laws, (3) active, high-visibility law enforcement, and (4)
effective public education to promote the use of safety belts. In
many ways, NHTSA's booster seat demonstration projects also use
this model. Although the projects do not include specific activities
to close the gaps in child restraint laws, they all recognize the
critical need for better laws and the benefits of public-private
partnerships, enforcement, and public education.
*At the time these projects were funded, the
Agency's policy stated that children between 40 and 80 pounds should
be secured in a belt-positioning booster seat. The new recommendation
to determine readiness for a booster seat is that "all children
who have outgrown child safety seats should be properly restrained
in booster seats until they are at least 8 years old, unless they
are 4 feet 9 inches tall."
**The Additional Reading at the end of the guide
identifies other research on child passenger safety and booster
seat use.
***Under the 2000 Transportation Recall Enhancement,
Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act (Section 14(I), Improving
the Safety of Child Restraints—Booster Seat Education Program),
Congress mandated that the Department of Transportation develop
"…[a] 5-year strategic plan to reduce death and injuries caused
by failure to use the appropriate booster seat in the 4 to 8 year
old group…"
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