Parental perceptions of child placement within vehicles: a focus group study

ABSTRACT

Although rear-seating children in motor vehicles results in fewer injuries and fatalities in motor vehicle crashes, many children continue to be front-seated. This study seeks to identify parental barriers to rear-seating children in motor vehicles and strategies to increase child rear seat placement. Focus groups were conducted with parents of children 12 or younger to determine barriers to rear seating and strategies to increase child rear seat placement. Barriers to rear seat placement identified include the logistics of transporting multiple children with limited rear seat availability, the potential of children to harm themselves if rear-seated, and peer pressure. Parents felt there should be no option to sit elsewhere within the vehicle to help normalize rear-seating. Successful interventions to increase child rear seat placement should focus on parental barriers to rear-seat their children in vehicles, including normalizing rear seat placement, and determining approaches to make rear-seat placement with multiple children uncomplicated.

KEYWORDS:

• Occupant safety
• child passenger safety
• rear-seat placement
• parent attitudes

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Safe Kids of Fargo/Moorhead, Bobbi Paper, MeritCare Health System and the North Dakota Department of Health – Injury Prevention Program. Thanks also goes out to the participating schools and the participating parents – this research would not have been possible without them.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This research report has been prepared with funds from the Mountain Plains Consortium [grant number DTRT07-G-0008, Modification No. 1].