1998 SURVEY RESULTS

CHAPTER 7

THE PUBLIC'S PERCEIVED INFORMATION
NEEDS ON CHILD OCCUPANT PROTECTION

 

Besides the Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey, NHTSA conducts other telephone surveys containing questions on occupant protection. Of particular relevance to this report are results from several questions introduced in the most recent Buckle Up America (BUA) Surveys. Since 1998, NHTSA has been conducting these surveys both immediately before and after national mobilization campaigns to enforce occupant protection laws. The national mobilizations occur twice a year, during a one week period that ends with Memorial Day and during Thanksgiving week. In 1998 and 1999, the BUA Surveys were conducted by the same firm that conducted the 1998 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey, Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas, Inc.

The methods used in conducting the BUA Surveys were the same as those used for the Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey except that:

During the pre-mobilization telephone survey conducted in November 1999, and the post-mobilization survey conducted in December 1999, NHTSA asked a randomly selected and nationally representative sample of persons age 16 and older whether they felt they needed information on how to protect children in a motor vehicle, what information they would find helpful, and where would they like to receive that information. This Chapter summarizes the data collected from both the November and December 1999 BUA Surveys pertaining to those questions.

 

Level Of Confidence In Knowing How To Protect A Child

Each participant in the November and December 1999 BUA Surveys was read the statement “I feel I know everything that is important to know about how to protect a [CHILD] riding in a motor vehicle.” The statement was read four times, each time specifying a specific age range for the child. Respondents were read the statements in descending order of child's age. They could strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree. As shown in Figure 75, most persons believed they knew everything they needed to know regardless of the child's age, although the proportion who felt confident declined as the age range of the child became younger.

Figure 75

Figure 75. Strongly Or Somewhat Agree: Know Everything Important To Know About Protecting Children

Qx: I feel I know everything that is important to know about how to protect a [child between the ages of 7 and 10] [child between the ages of 4 and 6] [toddler between the ages of 1 and 3] [infant under the age of 1] riding in a motor vehicle.
Base: Total population age 16+
Unweighted N's listed above.

 

Desire For Child Protection Information

The interviewers next asked if there was any particular type of information the respondents would find helpful on how to protect a child in a motor vehicle. Excluded from the question were respondents who had strongly agreed, for all 4 age ranges presented to them in the previous series of questions, that they knew everything they needed to know about how to protect a child riding in a motor vehicle. This excluded slightly more than 20% of the sample during both months. Among those respondents who received the question, more than one-third in both November

Figure 76

Figure 76. Would Find Child Protection Information Helpful, November 1999

Qx: I feel I know everything that is important to know about how to protect a [child between the ages of 7 and 10] [child between the ages of 4 and 6] [toddler between the ages of 1 and 3] [infant under the age of 1] riding in a motor vehicle.
Qx: Is there any particular type of information you would find helpful on how to protect a child in a motor vehicle?
Base: Total population age 16+
Unweighted N's listed above.

 

(38%) and December (35%) said they would find child protection information helpful. As a percentage of all persons age 16 and older, this equated to 30% and 27% for November and December 1999, respectively.

Figure 77

Figure 77. Would Find Child Protection Information Helpful, December 1999

Qx: I feel I know everything that is important to know about how to protect a [child between the ages of 7 and 10] [child between the ages of 4 and 6] [toddler between the ages of 1 and 3] [infant under the age of 1] riding in a motor vehicle.
Qx: Is there any particular type of information you would find helpful on how to protect a child in a motor vehicle?
Base: Total population age 16+
Unweighted N's listed above.

 

Those respondents who said that they would find particular information helpful were asked what information that would be. The results are presented in Table 7.

TABLE 7
Particular Types Of Information The Public Would Find Helpful

Qx: What information would you find helpful?
Base: Said there were particular types of information they would find helpful on how to
protect a child in a motor vehicle.
Unweighted N=350 (November) Unweighted N=329 (December )
Type Of Information
Nov.
Dec.
Child Safety (Net)

Information/Ways To Keep Children Safe/Safety Tips

Information On How To Protect Infants/Kids Under 1 Year

Information On How To Protect Toddlers

Information On Where To Correctly Position/Sit A Child In A Car

Safety Seats (SubNet)

Information On Proper use Of Child Safety Seats

Correct Installation Of Child Safety Seats

Proper Placement For Child Safety Seat

Proper Use Of Child Safety Seat Belts

Information On Child Seat Shoulder Straps

Information On Booster Seats

Best Brand Car Seat/Which Car Seats Are Best

Any Other Safety Seat Mentions

Seat Belts (SubNet)

Seat Belt Safety/Proper Restraint (Unspecified)

Proper Use/How To Use Seat Belts/Proper Buckling Of Seat Belt

Any Other Seat Belt Mentions

Air Bags (SubNet)

Information Regarding Air Bags/Concerns About Air Bags

Any Other Air Bag Mentions

Any Other Child Safety Mentions
69%

9%

3%

*

3%

35%

14%

11%

4%

*

1%

1%

7%

4%

19%

10%

9%

*

5%

5%

–

4%
65%

10%

6%

2%

4%

35%

10%

11%

9%

2%

1%

1%

4%

2%

18%

7%

10%

1%

3%

3%

*

2%
Laws/Legal Requirements (Net)

Laws Pertaining To Children In Motor Vehicles (Unspecified)

Weight Requirement For Safety Seat

Weight Requirement For Booster Seat

Weight Requirement/More Clarification About Correct Weight (Unsp)

Height Requirement/More Clarification About Height (Unspecified)

Age Requirement For Front Seat Travel

Age Requirement For Car Seat

Requirement For Child To Stop Using Car Seat

Any Other Laws/Legal Requirement Mentions
13%

3%

3%

*

–

1%

1%

6%

4%

*
17%

3%

2%

–

2%

2%

2%

7%

2%

1%
Media (Net)

TV

Radio

Newspaper

Magazines

Billboards

Pamphlets/Booklets

Seminars

Videos/Videos On Public Safety

DMV/Information From DMV/Driving Manual

Public Service Announcements

Schools/School Level Information

Any Other Media Mentions
28%

6%

2%

1%

1%

1%

15%

1%

1%

2%

3%

2%

8%
27%

4%

1%

*

*

1%

12%

1%

1%

1%

2%

2%

11%
Miscellaneous (Net)

Parents Paying Attention To Driving/Remind Parents To Drive Safely

Any Other Miscellaneous Mentions
3%

1%

2%
5%

1%

4%
DK/Ref
6%
5%

*Less than 0.5% – Zero cases Total exceeds 100% due to multiple responses.

 

Preferred Sources For Child Protection Information

The interviewers also asked the respondents “If you wanted to receive information on how to protect children in a motor vehicle, where would you like to be able to get that information?” Once again, respondents who had strongly agreed that they knew everything they needed to know about how to protect children (of any age) were excluded from this question. The most frequently cited locations were DMVs, police departments, direct mail, WEB sites, and TV.

Table 8
Preferred Sources For Receiving Child Protection Information

Qx: If you wanted to receive information on how to protect children in a motor vehicle,
where would you like to be able to get that information?
Base: Population age 16+, excluding those who strongly agreed that they knew everything
that was important to know about protecting children of all ages.
Unweighted N=943 (November) Unweighted N=934 (December )
Information Source
Nov.
Dec.
DMV/Department Of Motor Vehicles

Police/Police Departments

Direct Mail

WEB Site

TV

Public Library

Schools

Newspaper

Supermarket

Post Office

Doctor (Unspecified)

Magazines

Store

Radio

AAA

Pediatrician

Department Of Transportation

Car Dealership

Clinic

Secretary Of State

Insurance Companies

Car Seat Manufacturer

Nurse

Other

Don't Know/Refused
19%

13%

12%

12%

10%

8%

4%

4%

4%

NA

2%

3%

NA

2%

2%

2%

NA

NA

1%

1%

1%

NA

*

23%

13%
20%

14%

13%

11%

10%

8%

5%

4%

3%

4%

3%

1%

3%

2%

2%

1%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

*

20%

13%

*Less than 0.5% NA - Not a coded response category. Total exceeds 100% due to multiple responses.

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