Download or read book A Survey of Child Safety Seat and Safety Belt Use in Virginia the 1987 Update Final Report written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book An Observational Survey of Safety Belt and Child Safety Seat Use in Virginia written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Survey of Child Safety Seat and Safety Belt Use in Virginia written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Urban Safety Restraint Use by Infants and Children Under 16 Years of Age in Virginia written by Cheryl Lynn and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The principal goal of this child restraint survey has always been to estimate compliance with the relevant statutes in place at the time. Each summer, data were collected in the four metropolitan areas of Virginia (northern, eastern, central, and western) at the same sites, on the same day of the week, and at the same hour of the day. In 1997, sites in three mid-size cities with a population between 50,000 and 100,000 were added, as was data collection on safety belt use by occupants under 16 years of age. In 2002, additional sites in the existing mid-size cities were added to increase the sample size and a new mid-size city, Harrisonburg, was added. In addition, in 2002, the age categories used in the survey were changed to (1) infants and toddlers 0 through 3 years old, (2) preschoolers 4 through 5 years old, and (3) children 6 through 15 years old. These categories allowed the investigators to continue to analyze the longitudinal restraint use data and to evaluate the impact of the legislative changes made in 2002. A total of 2,823 children were observed during the 2002 summer survey of child restraint and safety belt use among persons under 16 years of age: 594 children under age 4 and 2,229 children aged 4 to 16. In 2002, total child safety seat use for metropolitan areas and mid-size cities combined was 93.2% and correct use was 70.8%. Total seat belt use among 4 to 16 year olds in metropolitan areas and mid-size cities combined was 65.6%, and correct use was 55.4%.

Download or read book An Observational Survey of Safety Belt and Child Safety Seat Use in Virginia written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The report has been prepared in response to a request from the Transportation Safety Administration of the Department of Motor Vehicles for data concerning the use of safety belts and child safety seats by the occupants of vehicles bearing Virginia license plates. In an effort to track changes in safety belt use as a result of various statutory enactments, enforcement campaigns, and public information efforts, a series of surveys were conducted. These surveys occurred over two time periods: 1974 through 1977, and 1983 through 1989. During the period ending in 1986, only the four major metropolitan areas of the state were used for data collection. From 1987 through 1989, survey sites were added in nine smaller communities. These areas are referred to as "towns," although several are legally classified as cities. Prior to enactment of the child safety seat law in the 1982 session of the Virginia General Assembly and the occupant restraint law in the 1987 session, belt use by the affected groups (children under 4 years of age and all front seat occupants) showed small yearly increases. After the effective date of each of the statutes, there was a markedly large increase in use by both target groups. The child seat use rate has remained relatively stable over the entire 7-year postlaw period, at approximately two-thirds of those surveyed. The front seat rate peaked at nearly 63% in the first 6 months after the effective date of law and subsequently declined to about 55% (p

Download or read book Urban Safety Restraint Use by Infants and Children Under 16 Years of Age in Virginia written by Cheryl Lynn and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The original child restraint law passed in Virginia in 1982 required that children under 4 years of age use a child safety seat, except for those who weighed at least 40 pounds or were at least 40 inches tall, who could use a standard safety belt. In 1997, Sections 46.2-1094 and 46.2-1095 of the Code of Virginia were changed to require that all children under age 16 use safety restraints. In 2002, the legislature amended Section 46.2-1095 so that "Any person who drives on the highways of Virginia any motor vehicle manufactured after January 1, 1968, shall ensure that any child, through age five, whom he transports therein is provided with and properly secured in a child restraint device of a type which meets the standards adopted by the United States Department of Transportation" [emphasis added]. In addition, Section 46.2-1100 stipulated that "The use of a seat belt . . . shall not violate this article if (i) the affected child is at least four years old but less than six years old and (ii) the weight and size of the child is such as to make the use of such seat belt practical and the use of an approved child restraint impractical." Safety restraint use among children has been monitored in Virginia using roadside surveys since the early 1980s. Changes were made in the 2002 survey methodology to allow the survey to reflect the changes in the child restraint law. The age categories previously used in the survey were changed to (1) infants and toddlers 0 through 3 years, (2) preschoolers 4 and 5 years old, and (3) children 6 through 15 years old. These categories will allow the investigators to continue to analyze the longitudinal restraint use data using the previous age categories (0 through 3 years and 4 through 15 years) as well as to evaluate the impact of the legislative changes made in 2002 using the new age categories (0 through 5 years and 6 through 15 years) when sufficient data are available. A total of 2,452 children were observed during the 2003 survey: 353 children under age 4 and 2,099 children 4 through 15 years of age. In 2003, total child restraint use for metropolitan areas and mid-size cities combined was 91.1% and correct use was 89.3%. Total seat belt use among 4 through 15 year olds in metropolitan areas and mid-size cities combined was 65.1%, and correct use was 53.5%.

Download or read book Urban Safety Restraint Use by Infants Preschoolers and Older Children in Virginia written by Cheryl Lynn and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2004, Virginia's child restraint use survey was conducted in four metropolitan areas of the state (northern, eastern, central, and western) and in four mid-size cities (Charlottesville, Danville, Lynchburg, and Harrisonburg) at the same sites, on the same day of the week, and at the same hour of the day as in previous surveys. The principal goal of the survey is to monitor (1) safety and booster seat use by infants under 4 and preschoolers 4 and 5 years of age, and (2) safety belt use by older children 6 to 16. Each survey estimates compliance with the child restraint law in place at the time. The surveys have been conducted every year since 1983. Changes were made in the 2002 child restraint survey methodology to reflect the changes in the child restraint law. The age categories previously used were changed to (1) infants under 4, (2) preschoolers 4 and 5, and (3) older children 6 to 16. These categories will allow investigators to continue to analyze the longitudinal restraint use data using the previous age categories (infants under 4 and children 4 to 16) and to evaluate the impact of the legislative changes made in 2002. In this survey, safety belt and child safety seat use were divided into three categories: correct use, incorrect use, and nonuse. The definitions of correct use and incorrect use for child safety seats were changed in 2003 to measures that could be consistently determined from outside the vehicle. Incorrect use for children under 6 was defined to include safety seat or lap belt use by a child either too large or too small for that form of restraint. For children 6 to 16, the definition of incorrect use was not changed and included wearing the shoulder belt either behind the back or under the arm. Total use rates defined as correct plus incorrect use are also presented in the report to represent a rate not biased by any remaining variability in the incorrect use category. A total of 2,596 children were observed during the 2004 survey: 375 infants under 4 and 2,221 children 4 to 16. In 2004, total child restraint use for infants in metropolitan areas and in mid-size cities combined was 98.1% and correct use was 92.8%. Total seat belt use among 4 to 16 year olds in metropolitan areas and in mid-size cities combined was 76.0%, and correct use was 65.4%.

Download or read book An Observational Survey of Safety Belt and Child Safety Seat Use in Virginia written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Observational surveys of safety belt use in Virginia have been conducted in two series. The first covered 1974 through 1977, and the second 1983 through 1988. This report is concerned only with the latter series and encompasses use rates that are the result of passage of the Child Safety Seat Law (Senate Bill 413), which went into effect on January 1, 1983, and the Mandatory Use Law (MUL) (House Bill 1210), which went into effect on January 1, 1988. Observed belt usages are analyzed according to a number of occupant, vehicle, and geographic characteristics. Each of these is discussed in a separate section of the report. There were gradual increases in safety belt use in the urban areas between 1983 and 1987. Subsequent to the effective date of the state MUL, there was a sharp rise in use rates. In 1988, 68.9% of the urban drivers and 50.8% of the urban passengers used a safety belt. Use rates in the towns were much lower than those for the urban areas, but there also was a large increase in usage rates subsequent to the MUL. Although there were large differences in the belt use rates among the towns surveyed, 55.8% of the town drivers and 37.1% of the town passengers were belt users in 1988. The combined statewide rates were 65.5% for drivers and 46.8% for passengers--rates of use nearly double the pre-MUL rates of 34.3% and 28.9%. A number of other findings are presented in the report. Among these are the following: (1) belt use was highest in the northern area of the state; (2) there was little difference in use rates throughout the day; (3) approximately two-thirds of all the infants were in safety seats; (4) 37.5% (1987) and 21.4% (1988) of the child seats were misused in an obvious way; and (5) with the exception of infants, older adults had the highest rates of use in 1988. It was concluded that passage of the Child Safety Seat Law and the MUL had a major positive influence on safety belt use rates in Virginia. It is recommended that efforts to bolster the belt-wearing habits of Virginians should be directed to the residents of the smaller communities and rural areas. Efforts should also be directed at occupants of the rear seating positions of automobiles and at males 17 through 30 years old. Finally, programs and expenditures of funds should be initiated in areas where use rates have started to decline or have remained below one-half of those observed.

Download or read book The Use of Safety Restraint Systems in Virginia by Occupants Under 16 Years of Age written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This series of observational surveys, to determine child safety seat use in Virginia, began in 1993 at the request of DMV officials. During all 4 years (there was no survey in 1995), data in metropolitan areas were collected at the same locations, at the same time of day and day of week, and according to the same criteria for determining use. In 1997, data collection was added for safety restraint use by occupants 4 to 16 years of age at the request of officials of the Department of Health, which is now responsible for the state's child safety seat program. In addition, data were collected on whether any booster seats in use were being used properly. Seven sites were also added in communities with a population between 50,000 and 100,000 (mid-size cities). For the entire vehicle, the 1997 metropolitan area child safety seat correct use rate was 54.1 %, incorrect use was 17.4%, and non-use was 28.5%. Non-use was greater in the front seats (42.1 %) than in the rear seats (25.2%). The western area had the highest non-use rate (50.0%) and the lowest correct use rate (32.1 %). Non-use and correct use in Northern Virginia, Central Virginia, and Tidewater were similar, with correct use ranging from 53.1% to 58.7% and non-use ranging from 24.8% to 29.1 %. Child safety seat use in the three areas categorized as mid-size cities (Charlottesville, Danville, and Lynchburg) was lower than in the metropolitan areas: correct use was 43.2%, incorrect use was 14.8%, and non-use was 42.0%, with Danville having the highest non-use rate at 61.9%. Non-use was higher in the front seats (66.7%) than in the rear seats (37.7%). Safety restraint/seat belt use by occupants 4 to 16 years old riding in the rear seats was very low. In the metropolitan areas, correct use was 34.9%, incorrect use was 2.3%, and non-use was 62.9%, with the western area having the highest non-use rate (69.3%). In the mid-size cities, correct use was 26.2%, incorrect use was 1.5%, and non-use was 72.3%, rates considerably worse than in the metropolitan areas, with Danville having a non-use rate of 84.7%. There was a high correct use rate for booster seats: 83.1% for the entire vehicle, 84.0% for the rear seats, and 77.8% for the front seats. The recommendations include the initiation of research to determine why child safety seat use is so low, a public information and education effort geared specifically toward child safety seat use, a special education and enforcement effort aimed at occupants 4 to 16 years of age, and frequent and continuous education and enforcement efforts because of changes in the population of the targeted groups.

Download or read book An Observational Survey of Safety Belt and Child Safety Seat Use in Virginia The 1990 Update Final Report written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Child Safety Seat and Safety Belt Use Among Urban Travelers written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During nine days in June 1983, 1984, and 1985, four major metropolitan areas of Virginia were surveyed to determine the extent to which safety restraints were being used by urban travelers. Observers stationed at selected signalized intersections displayed to stopped motorists a clipboard bearing the question, Are you wearing safety belts? The observers then approached the vehicles to visually verify any response given, and recorded whether safety belts or child safety seats were being used. They also recorded the license numbers of the vehicles and the sex and approximate age of each occupant. Results published in previous reports have shown that passage of the state's Child Safety Seat Law resulted in a significant positive change in the usage rates by passengers less than four years of age. The rates of usage for infants in 1983, 1984, and 1985 were nearly identical. Nearly three-fourths of the infants traveling as right front passengers (RFP's) and two-thirds of the infants classed as remaining passengers (RP's) were observed to be in safety restraints (Table 6). The 1985 data replicate earlier findings that when there was an infant in the car, and the infant was in a child safety seat, belt use by drivers and passengers was significantly higher than use rates by drivers and passengers when the infant was not in a child seat (Table 3). In 1984 and 1985, over 30% of the drivers, 40% of the RFP's, and 75% of the RP's used belt systems when a child was in a child seat, but fewer than 10% of these occupants were using safety restraints when the child was not in a child seat. The study also identified an association between the driver's use of safety belts and the use by other passengers. When drivers do not use belts, few passengers use belts. When drivers use lap belts, an increasing proportion of passengers use safety belts. Belt use rates by passengers are highest when drivers use the lap/shoulder belt combination (Table 2). This longitudinal study of observed belt use patterns shows an increase in the use of safety restraint systems by drivers and passengers. In June 1985, 28.4% of the drivers and 25.7% of all passengers were using belt systems (Table I). The rates in 1984 were 20.4% and 19.4% and those in 1983 were 16.4% and 19.0% An analysis of the data also produced additional findings that could relate to various educational or public information campaigns. These findings include the following: I. the percentage of belt use by female drivers and RFP's is higher than that for their male counterparts (Table 4); 2. belt use by drivers was highest in the afternoon, but use by passengers was highest in the morning (Table 5); 3. other than that for infants, belt use was highest for middle adult drivers and pre-adult passengers (Table 6); 4. belt use by drivers and passengers was greater in newer cars (Table 7); and 5. belt use was highest in the northern area and lowest in the western area of the state (Table 9). These findings lead to the conclusion that the Child Safety Seat Law has been responsible for a significant increase in restraint usage by infants. There also appears to have been a spillover effect that has increased safety restraint usage by other categories of vehicle occupants.

Download or read book Child Safety Seat and Safety Belt Use Among Urban Travelers written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The four major metropolitan areas of Virginia were surveyed to determine the extent to which safety restraints were being used by urban travelers. Observers were stationed at selected signalized intersections and displayed to stopped motorists a clipboard bearing the question "Are you wearing safety belts?" The observers then approached the vehicles to visually verify any response given and to record whether safety belts or child safety seats were being used. They also recorded the sex and approximate age of each occupant and whether the child safety seats were being correctly or incorrectly used. These observations occurred in two series: 1) 1974-1977 and 2) 1983-1986. Only the latter data are reported here. Four characteristics of the survey sample were analyzed to determine whether they biased the observed belt use results. The number of vehicles observed during each of the three daily periods and in the four areas of the state and the sex of the observed occupants occurred in similar proportions in each of the four surveys and should not have caused year-to-year differences in belt usage. There were, however, variations in the age distributions of the vehicle occupants in the four survey samples, and these differences (more older and fewer middle adults) should have resulted in slightly lower use rates in 1986, all other influences being the same. Observed belt usages were analyzed according to a number of vehicle, occupant, and geographic characteristics. Each of these is discussed in a separate section of the report. Belt use rates were higher in 1986 than during the previous four years, with 35.5% of the drivers and 33.1% of all passengers using some form of safety restraint. The passage of the Child Safety Seat law in 1982 resulted in a significant increase in usage by passengers less than four years of age. During all four years, nearly three-fourths of the infants traveling as right front passengers and two-thirds of the infants classified as remaining passengers were observed to be in safety restraints.

Download or read book An Observational Survey of Safety Belt and Child Safety Seat Use in Virginia The 1988 Update Final Report written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Estimated Safety Belt Use Rates Under Primary and Secondary Enforcement Statutes written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Virginia Transportation Research Council was requested by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to estimate the changes in statewide safety belt use that would occur if the state were to modify its current mandatory use law (HUL) to permit primary enforcement. In carrying out the project, a literature review and a review of all state HUL statutes were conducted. In addition, three sources of data (two national and one state) were used to identify whether there were variations in the rates of safety belt use and the factors influencing any differences found. Several factors relevant to safety belt use were identified. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have an MUL, and 9 provide for primary enforcement. It was found that belt use was generally greater in states with primary enforcement. In addition, belt use was higher in localities with both an active public information campaign and an active enforcement effort. Finally, there was a large increase in belt use by front seat occupants in Virginia after passage of the HUL, whereas belt use by rear seat occupants dropped dramatically during the same period. It was concluded that either of two actions would result in a 6 to 8 percentage point Increase in the statewide belt use rate. These two actions are (1) modify the current MUL to provide for primary enforcement, or (2) amend the current HUL to apply to both front and rear seat occupants. Either change would result in a rise to a rate of approximately 62% from the current rate of 54%.

Download or read book 2000 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey Volume 5 Child Safety Seat Report written by Alan W. Block and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Direct Observation of the Use of Child Safety Seats in Metropolitan Areas of Virginia During Summer 1993 written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Observational surveys of child safety seat use were conducted at the request of the Transportation Safety Administration of the Department of Motor Vehicles. The present survey was conducted in the four areas of the state with the largest populations. The data were categorized as correct use, incorrect use, and no use for each seat position in the car for children judged by the survey team to require safety seats under state law. Correct child seat use was higher (51.6%) in the rear seats of cars than in the front seats (40.8%). For the entire car, only 48.9% of the children were in a correctly used child seat, 33.6% of the child occupants were not in a safety seat, and 17.5% of the seats were obviously misused. The data also showed variations in the pattern of use among the four areas of the state. The rate of incorrect use was probably underestimated by this survey. There is a need to address the problems of non-use and incorrect use through increased education and enforcement efforts on the part of the state and localities.

Download or read book Safety Restraint Use in Virginia written by Charles B. Stoke and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this report was to take a retrospective glance at Virginia's experience in getting her citizens to use the automobile safety restraint systems available to them. In Virginia, data on safety belt and child safety seat use were collected annually from 1983 until 1994. Data on child safety seat use were not collected in 1995, although safety belt use figures were again gathered. The data revealed that, for most years, the change in safety belt use rates was small. The use of child safety seats increased substantially after the effective date (January 1, 1983) of the statute requiring it. Safety belt use by front seat occupants also increased substantially following the effective date of the mandatory use law (January 1, 1988), which applied only to front seat occupants. However, use by rear seat occupants was lower in 1989 and 1990 than in 1987. Infants had higher rates of safety restraint use than did older passengers, with the infant use rate peaking in 1991. Further, belt use was higher in metropolitan areas. Both safety restraint use statutes were effective in increasing the use rates of the target populations: infants and front seat occupants. Virginia legislators should enhance the lifesaving potential of passenger restraint systems by mandating the use of safety belts by rear seat passengers.