CHAPTER 5: REASONS FOR NON-USE OF CAR SEATS

The survey asked a series of questions to identify reasons why children under age 9 were not riding in car seats. Respondents were selected from the parent/caregiver subgroup defined on page 30. If respondents said that the designated child used a car seat, but less than all the time, then the survey termed them “part time users.” This includes cases where the respondent said that the child used the car seat all the time, but admitted occasions of non-use within the past year on a follow-up question. The first part of this Chapter focuses exclusively on findings concerning part time car seat users. Readers are cautioned that these results are based on a small number of cases (136). This is because parents and other caregivers will generally claim that the car seat is used “all the time” if the child still uses this type of restraint at all.

The second part of this Chapter examines reasons for non-use of car seats by children under the age of 9 who reportedly do not use car seats at all. Besides reasons for non-use among these “non-users”, the Chapter explores their safety belt use, the fit of the safety belt, and their usual seating location.

Part Time Car Seat Users
Questionnaire testing plus input from experts had identified a number of likely reasons for non-use of car seats. The interviewers read each of these reasons to respondents, asking whether or not it was a factor in the child not using a car seat. The interviewers then gave the respondents the opportunity to volunteer “other” reasons. The reasons most frequently mentioned for non-use of car seats among part time users were that they were only going to be in the car for a short time (50%), a car seat was not available (41%), and the child did not like the seat (34%).

Figure 70
Reasons Child Does Not Ride In Car Seat:
Part Time Users

[d]

Qx: Please answer yes or no to each of the following statements. When my (AGE) doesn't ride in a child car seat, it is sometimes because…?
Base: Child under age 9 uses a car seat, but not all of the time.
Unweighted N=136

The survey sought to identify where the child usually sat when not using the car seat. The results showed that about one-out-of-seven children who used car seats on a part time basis usually sat on someone’s lap when not riding in the seat (15%).

Figure 71
Does Child Usually Sit On Someone's Lap When Not Riding In the Car Seat?

[d]

Qx: When the (AGE) doesn't ride in the child car seat when riding with you, does (he/she) usually sit on someone's lap?
Base: Child under age 9 uses a car seat, but not all of the time.
Unweighted N=136

When asked if the child usually sat in the front seat or the back seat when not riding in the car seat, more than four-fifths (85%) said the back seat. Another 12% said the child usually rode in the front while the remainder did not know (1.1%) or refused to respond (2.5%).

Figure 72
Does Child Usually Sit In Front Seat Or Back Seat When Not Riding In The Car Seat?

[d]

Qx: When the (AGE) doesn't ride in the child car seat when riding with you, does (he/she) usually sit in the front seat or in the back seat? Base: Child under age 9 uses a car seat, but not all of the time.
Unweighted N=136
The sum of the percentages in the pie chart does not equal 100% because the numbers are rounded.

Most children who were part time car seat users wore a safety belt when they were not in their car seat. Eighty-three percent reportedly used the safety belt all of the time when not in the car seat, and 6% used it most of the time.

Figure 73
Frequency Of Safety Belt Use When Child Is Not In Car Seat

[d]

Qx: When the (AGE) doesn't ride in the child car seat when riding with you, how often is (he/she) buckled in a seat belt?
Base: Child under age 9 uses a car seat, but not all of the time.
Unweighted N=136

Most children (60%) who always or most of the time wore a safety belt when not using a car seat weighed 40-60 pounds. However, three-in-ten children (30%) weighed under 40 pounds, and more than one-in-ten (12%) reportedly weighed less than 30 pounds.

Figure 74
Weight Of Children Who Always Or Most Of The Time
Use Safety Belts When Not In Their Car Seat

[d]

Qx: How much does (AGE) weight?
Qx: When the (AGE) doesn't ride in the child car seat when riding with you, how often is (he/she) buckled in a seat belt?
Base: Child under age 9 is a part time car seat user who uses a safety belt all or most of the time when not riding in the car seat. Unweighted N=122

The survey also sought to determine how well safety belts fit children who still used a car seat at least on occasion. Correct lap belt fit would entail the lap belt going across the child’s upper thighs or hips. This was reported to be the case for a majority of the children (65%), although many reportedly had the safety belt going across the child’s stomach (45%). Problems with shoulder belt fit also appeared, such as the belt cutting across the child’s neck or face (38%), or the child placing the shoulder belt behind his/her back (30%) or under his/her arm (25%).

Table 11
How Safety Belt Fits The Child: Part Time Users Of Car Seats

Qx: Please tell me, yes or no, if the following things usually happen when the (AGE) wears a seat belt while riding in a motor vehicle. On most trips, does …?
Base: Child under age 9 is a part time car seat user who at least on occasion uses a safety belt.
*Respondents were asked only those questions concerning fit appropriate for the type of safety belt usually worn by the child (I.e. shoulder only, lap only, or shoulder and lap belt systems), resulting in the different N-sizes.

Parents/caregivers were also asked the age at which a child was generally ready to wear a safety belt. Table 12 compares the responses provided by parents/caregivers who said the child used a car seat, but not every time, with those who claimed that the child was always in a car seat when riding with them. The most frequent response for both groups was 6-years-old, with 50% of either group believing a child was generally ready to wear a safety belt by age 6 or younger.

Table 12
Age At Which Parent/Caregiver Believes A Child Is Ready To Begin Wearing A Safety Belt:
Part Time Versus Full Time Car Seat Users

Qx: In general, at what age do you think a child is ready to begin wearing a seat belt rather than use some type of child car seat?
Base: Child under age 9 uses a car seat.
*Less than 0.5%. -- No cases.

Children Who Never Use Car Seats
The children who never used car seats were mostly larger children. Nearly six-in-ten (57%) weighed 40-60 pounds and 32% weighed 61 pounds or more, while only 8% weighed less than 40 pounds.

Figure 75
Weight Of Children Who Never Use Car Seats

[d]

Qx: How much does (AGE) weight?
Qx: When you are driving and the (AGE) rides in the vehicle with you, how often does (he/she) ride in a child car seat? Child car seats include infant seats, toddler seats, and booster seats. Would you say (he/she) rides in a child car seat…?
Base: Child under age 9 never uses a car seat.
Unweighted N=479

When asked the reason why the child never uses a car seat, the respondents usually answered that it was because the child uses a safety belt (94%) and was too big (85%). Other reasons given for not using a car seat included the child was too old (65%), the law does not require it for the child’s age and size (58%), and the child does not have one (36%).

If the respondent said that the child did not have a car seat, the interviewer asked if there was a particular reason why. Nearly half (46%) answered “no” while 1% said they did not know. Those who gave a reason most frequently indicated that it was because the child was too big or too old for the seat.

Figure 76
Reasons Child Never Rides In Car Seat

[d]

Qx: Please answer yes or no to each of the following statements to indicate if this is a reason why the (AGE) does not ride in a child car seat. My (AGE) doesn't ride in a child car seat because….
Base: Child under age 9 never uses a car seat.
Unweighted N=479

The vast majority of children who never use car seats reportedly wear a safety belt all (95%) or most (3%) of the time when riding in motor vehicles.

Figure 77
Frequency Child Uses Safety Belt:
Children Who Never Use Car Seats

[d]

Qx: How often does he/she use a seat belt?
Base: Child under age 9 never uses a car seat.
Unweighted N=479
The sum of the percentages in the pie chart does not equal 100% because the numbers are rounded.

The vast majority (87%) of children under age 9 who never use car seats tended to sit in the back seat, while 8% usually sat in the front seat. Another 3% sat about equally in the front seat and the back seat.

Figure 78
Where Child Usually Sits In Vehicle:
Children Who Never Use Car Seats

[d]

Qx: Where does the (AGE) usually sit in the vehicle when you are driving –the front seat or the back seat?
Base: Child under age 9 never uses a car seat.
Unweighted N=479

As with parents/caregivers of part time car seat users, the parents/caregivers of children who never used car seats but instead used safety belts were asked how well the safety belt fit the child. As shown in Table 13, problems with the fit of the shoulder belt were somewhat more likely among part time car seat users than among the non-users.

Table 13
How Safety Belt Fits The Child: Non-Users Of Car Seats Versus Part Time Users Of Car Seats

Qx: Please tell me, yes or no, if the following things usually happen when the (AGE) wears a seat belt while riding in a motor vehicle. On most trips, does …?
Base: Child under age 9 never uses a car seat but uses a safety belt, or is a part time car seat user who at least on occasion uses a safety belt.
*Respondents were asked only those questions concerning fit appropriate for the type of safety belt usually worn by the child (I.e. shoulder only, lap only, or shoulder and lap belt systems), resulting in the different N-sizes.

The responses to the questions on shoulder belt fit were analyzed by the children’s ages to determine if there was a “break point” at which juncture problems with fit steeply declined. The analyses included only those ages (5-8) for which there were more than 45 cases. The data indicated that the children were most likely to place the shoulder belt behind the back or under the arm at age 5. Placement of the belt behind the back then progressively declined as the children became older (38%, 30%, 25%, 19%) whereas placement of the belt under the arm fell sharply at age 6 and then remained at that approximate level through ages 7 and 8 (28%, 13%, 17%, 15%). Conversely, problems with the belt going across the face or neck peaked at ages 6 and 7 (24%, 33%, 34%, 21%). Readers are cautioned that these numbers are based on very small subsample sizes and that the noted differences are suggested rather than statistically significant (due to the aforementioned small subsample sizes).

Figure 79
Shoulder Belt Fit Problems By Child's Age:
Non-Users Of Car Seats Ages 5 Through 8

[d]

Qx: Please tell me, yes or no, if the following things usually happen when the (AGE) wears a seat belt while riding in a motor vehicle. On most trips, does …?
Base: Child age 5-8 never rides in a car seat and uses a safety belt having a shoulder strap.
Unweighted N's listed above.

Parents/caregivers of children who did not use child safety seats at all (non-users) tended to believe that children were ready to begin wearing a safety belt at a slightly younger age than parents of children who used child safety seats (part time and full time users). They most frequently gave age 5 as the transition point, compared to age 6 by parents/ caregivers of part time and full time car seat users. Overall, 40% of the parents/caregivers of non-users gave an age of 5 or younger as the point when a child is ready to begin wearing a safety belt compared to 32%⁵ of the part time users and 31% of the full time users.

Table 14
Age At Which Parent/Caregiver Believes A Child
Is Ready To Begin Wearing A Safety Belt:
Non-Users Versus Users Of Car Seats

Qx: In general, at what age do you think a child is ready to begin wearing a seat belt rather than use some type of child car seat?
Base: Child under age 9 identified as either a full time user, part time user or non- user of car seats.
*Less than 0.5%. -- No cases.

⁵The number does not equal the sum of the components in the Figure due to rounding.