CHAPTER 8: TRENDS 1994 - 2003
Proportion Of Trips That Child Age 12 Or Younger Rides In Front Seat, 1998-2003.
The 1998 survey introduced questions asking the seating position of children age 12 and younger. Drivers who lived with one or more children in this age range were asked the proportion of trips that the youngest child rode in the front seat during the past 30 days when traveling with the respondent. In 1998, 30% said that the child rode in the front seat on half or more trips. The number decreased to 24% in 2000, and further decreased to 19% in 2003.
Figure 96
Proportion Of Trips That Youngest Child Rode
In The Front Seat In The Past 30 Days: 1998-2003
Qx: Think about all the times this child rode with you in the past thirty days, both with and without other passengers. About what proportion of those trips would you say that the child rode in the front seat?
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Base: Drives a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle, and lives with one or more children age 12 or younger.
Unweighted N's listed above.
Change In Seating Position Of Child Age 12 Or Younger From 12 Months Ago, 1998-2003
Figure 97 shows less movement to the front seat among younger children in 2003 compared to the survey findings in 2000 and 1998. This pattern levels out for children ages 10 through 12.
Figure 97
More Likely To Ride In The Front Seat Than
12 Months Ago By Child's Age: 1998-2003
Qx: Compared to 12 MONTHS ago, is this child more likely to ride in the front seat when you drive, as likely to ride in the front seat, or less likely to ride in the front seat?
Base: Drives a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle, and lives with one or more children ages 1 to 12.
Unweighted N's listed above.
Differences Between Current MVOSS Data And Previous MVOSS Data
Concerning Child Restraint Use
Most of the detailed information in the MVOSS concerning attitudes, knowledge, and behavior regarding use of child restraints comes from a subgroup of the survey sample labeled parents/caregivers. Page 30 provides the definition of the group for the 2003 survey. This definition differs from that used in 1994-1998 in that the age range for the children was expanded for the 2000 survey. In 2000, drivers entered the parents/caregivers subgroup if they were parents/caregivers of children under age 9. In the surveys conducted from 1994 through 1998, they entered the subgroup if they were parents/caregivers of children under age 6. The 2000 survey extended the age range in order to fully cover the generally recommended ages for booster seat use (ages 4 to 8).
Because the definition of parents/caregivers changes, this means that the 2000 and 2003 survey results were derived from a somewhat different subgroup than in 1994-1998, thereby affecting comparability of results. The expanded age range not only resulted in inclusion in the 2000 and 2003 survey of drivers who would have been ineligible for the parents/caregivers subgroup in previous years (i.e., respondents whose youngest child was in the 6-8 age range), but also changed the referent child who would have been selected for some respondents (i.e., if respondents had children both in the 0-5 and 6-8 age ranges, the referent child no longer was restricted to the 0-5 age range in the 2000 and 2003 survey).
The vast majority of child restraint questions were asked only of parents/caregivers whose child used a child car seat at least on occasion. Since child car seat users continue to be predominantly under the age of 6, the effect on survey results of the change in parent/caregiver definition may have been negligible for most questionnaire items. Therefore, this report presents on the following pages trend data from parents/caregivers for the entire 1994-2003 period so that readers have the opportunity to compare results across years. However, readers should exercise caution in interpreting the trends due to the above-stated issues of comparability of data.
Reported All The Time Car Seat Use By Child’s Weight, 1994-2003
Figure 98 suggests that the increases in child restraint use by children 30-39 pounds may be starting to level off, while not quite reaching the level found for children 20-29 pounds. Reported “all the time” child restraint use by infants under 20 pounds returned to the high level obtained during the late 1990s, reinforcing the hypothesis in 2000 that the dip in usage that year stemmed from errors in recording weight. The survey results presented in Figure 98 exclude the 40+ pound weight category because of the change in definition of the parent/caregiver group described on the previous page.
Figure 98
Reported “All Of The Time” Car Seat Use
By Child's Weight: 1994-2003
Qx: How much does (AGE) weigh?
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 all of the time, most of the time, some of the time, rarely, or never?
Base 1994-1998: Parents/caregivers of children under age 6.
Base 2000-2003: Parents/caregivers of children under age 9 (see page 30 for definition).
Reported All The Time Car Seat Use By Child’s Age, 1994-2003
Figure 99 shows continued increase in 2003 of child restraint use by children in the 2-to-5-year range, with the greatest gains occurring among children ages 4 and 5. The Figure also shows a decrease in 2000 in “all the time” car seat use by infants but it is recovered in 2003.
Figure 99
Reported “All Of The Time” Car Seat Use
By Child's Age: 1994-2003
Qx: What is the age of the (CHILD)?
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 all of the time, most of the time, some of the time, rarely, or never?
Base 1994-1998: Parents/caregivers of children under age 6.
Base 2000-2003: Parents/caregivers of children under age 9 (see page 30 for definition).
Location Of Car Seat, 1994-2003
From 1994 to 2000, the survey found children in car seats increasingly placed in the back seat. No further increase materialized in 2003 as 94% of parents/caregivers in both the 2000 and 2003 surveys reported that the child usually rode in the back seat when in the car seat.
Figure 100
Placement Of Child's Car Seat: 1994-2003
Qx: When you are driving and the (AGE) rides in the child car seat, is he/she usually in the front seat or the back seat?
Base: Child at least on occasion rides in a child car seat.
1994-1998: Parents/caregivers of children under age 6.
2000-2003: Parents/caregivers of children under age 9 (see page 30 for definition).
*There were 0.4% Not sure/refused in 2000, which was rounded to 0%.
Ninety-nine percent of parents/caregivers of children who used car seats in 2003 knew that the back seat was the safest location to place a child car seat in the vehicle, which was similar to findings from the previous three surveys.
Figure 101
Where It Is Considered Safest To Place
The Child Car Seat: 1994-2003
Qx: Where would you say it is safest to place a child car seat in the vehicle… in the front seat or in the back seat?
Base: Child at least on occasion rides in a child car seat.
1994-1998: Parents/caregivers of children under age 6.
2000-2003: Parents/caregivers of children under age 9 (see page 30 for definition).
There was no difference between 1998, 2000 and 2003 in the percentage (92%) of parents/caregivers who were aware of the danger of placing a rear facing infant seat in the front seat of a vehicle having a frontal passenger air bag. Figure 102 shows that knowledge of the danger has remained high since a large jump in public awareness between 1994 and 1996.
Figure 102
Safe Or Unsafe To Place Rear Facing Car Seat In Front With
Frontal Passenger Air Bag: 1994-2003
Qx: Some child car seats are designed so that the child faces backward, to the rear of the motor vehicle. Suppose a child is riding in a child car seat facing backward. If the vehicle has a passenger side air bag, is it safe or unsafe to have the child car seat in the front seat?
Base: Child at least on occasion rides in a child car seat.
1994-1998: Parents/caregivers of children under age 6.
2000-2003: Parents/caregivers of children under age 9 (see page 30 for definition).
Ease Of Use, 1994-2003
In 2003, 62% of the parents/caregivers said that it was very easy to attach the child car seat to the vehicle, compared to 66% in 2000 and 71% in 1998.
Figure 103
Ease Of Attaching Car Seat To Vehicle: 1994-2003
Qx: How easy is it for you to attach the child car seat to the vehicle you usually drive… very easy, somewhat easy, or not easy at all?
Base: Child at least on occasion rides in a child car seat, and the car seat did not come attached to the vehicle.
1994-1998: Parents/caregivers of children under age 6.
2000-2003: Parents/caregivers of children under age 9 (see page 30 for definition).
More than seven-in-ten parents/caregivers considered it very easy to properly buckle their child into the car seat regardless of the survey year.
Figure 104
Ease Of Buckling Child In Car Seat: 1994-2003
Qx: How easy is it for you to properly buckle your child into the child car seat?
Base: Child at least on occasion rides in a child car seat.
1994-1998: Parents/caregivers of children under age 6.
2000-2003: Parents/caregivers of children under age 9 (see page 30 for definition).
Expected Restraint System For Child After Outgrowing Current Seat, 1996-2003
There was little difference between 1996 and 2003 survey results in the percentage of children expected to graduate directly to safety belts from rear facing child safety seats. The percentage of children expected to graduate from front facing child safety seats to safety belts has declined from 45% in 1996 to 29% in 2003.
Figure 105
Expect Child To Use Safety Belts After Outgrowing Current Car Seat: 1996-2003
Qx: When your (AGE) outgrows his/her current child car seat, do you expect him/her to use a different type of car seat, a seat belt or something else??
Base: Child at least on occasion rides in a child car seat.
1994-1998: Parents/caregivers of children under age 6.
2000-2003: Parents/caregivers of children under age 9 (see page 30 for definition).
Support For Enforcing Car Seat Laws, 1994-2003
In 2003, 59% of the public believed that police should give a ticket at every opportunity for violations of car seat laws. There was no appreciable change from 1994 (58%).
Figure 106
Level Of Support For Enforcing Car Seat Laws
Using 10-Point Scale: 1994-2003
Qx: How do you personally feel about the police enforcement of child car seat laws? On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means police should hardly ever give tickets and 10 means police should give a ticket at every opportunity for violations of car seat laws, how strict should police enforcement be?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Support For Laws Requiring Safety Belt Use After Child Has Outgrown Car Seat, 1994-2003
In each of the survey years, 94% of the public agreed that children who have outgrown child car seats should be required by law to wear safety belts when riding in a vehicle.
Figure 107
Children Should Be Required To Wear Safety Belts
When They Have Outgrown Car Seats: 1994-2003
Qx (1994-1996): What about when children under the age of 6 outgrow a child car seat? Do you agree or disagree that they should be required by law to wear seat belts when riding in a vehicle?
Qx (1998-2000): What about when children outgrow a child car seat? Do you agree or disagree that they should be required by law to wear seat belts when riding in a vehicle?
Qx (2003): What about when children outgrow a child car seat, including booster seats? Do you agree or disagree that they should be required by law to wear seat belts when riding in a vehicle?
Base: Total population age 16+.