Use of Child Safety Seats: Distribution and Education Programs

Child safety seat distribution and education programs provide child safety seats to parents through a loan, low-cost rental or giveaway of an approved safety seat. Programs also include an educational component. They target parents and other caregivers who are experiencing financial hardship or do not understand the importance of getting and using a safety seat.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends  interventions that use distribution and education programs based on strong evidence of their effectiveness in increasing child safety seat use. 

Task Force Finding

 

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Ten studies qualified for the systematic review.

• Possession and proper use of safety seats: median increase of 23 percentage points (interquartile interval: 4 to 62 percentage points; 10 studies)
• Distribution programs were effective when conducted in hospitals and clinics, as part of postnatal home visits, and when provided by an auto insurance company.
• Effectiveness of these programs was found among urban, suburban, and rural populations, and among affluent and poor populations.

These results are based on a systematic review of all available studies led by scientists from the Community Guide and CDC's Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention with input from a team of specialists in systematic review methods and experts in research, practice and policy related to increasing child safety seat use.

Supporting Materials

• Research gaps
• Summary evidence table [PDF - 2.44MB] - See Appendix on pages 44-47
• Included studies
• Search strategy

Publications

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Motor-vehicle occupant injury: strategies for increasing use of child safety seats, increasing use of safety belts, and reducing alcohol-impaired driving. MMWR. Recommendations and Reports 2001;50(RR07):1-13.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to reduce injuries to motor vehicle occupants: increasing child safety seat use, increasing safety belt use, and reducing alcohol-impaired driving. [PDF - 78KB] Am J Prev Med 2001;21(4S):16–22.

Zaza S, Sleet DA, Thompson RS, et al. Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to increase use of child safety seats. [PDF - 2.44MB] Am J Prev Med 2001;21(4S): 31-47.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Motor vehicle occupant injuries. [PDF - 355KB] In : Zaza S, Briss PA, Harris KW, eds. The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? Atlanta (GA): Oxford University Press;2005:329-84.

More Community Guide publications about the Prevention of Motor Vehicle-related Injuries

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Sample Citation

The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Use of child safety seats: incentive and education programs. www.thecommunityguide.org/mvoi/childsafetyseats/distribution.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: June 1998