Updated population-level estimates of child restraint practices among children aged 0-12 years in Australia, 10 years after introduction of age-appropriate restraint use legislation.

Objective: Optimal child passenger protection requires use of a restraint designed for the age/size of the child (appropriate use) that is used in the way the manufacturer intended (correct use).This study aimed to determine child restraint practices approximately 10 years after introduction of legislation requiring correct use of age-appropriate restraints for all children aged up to 7 years.

Methods: A stratified cluster sample was constructed to collect observational data from children aged 0-12 years across the Greater Sydney region of New South Wales (NSW). Methods replicated those used in a similar 2008 study. Population weighted estimates for restraint practices were generated, and logistic regression used to examine associations between restraint type, and child age with correct use accounting for the complex sample.

Results: Almost all children were appropriately restrained (99.3%, 95% CI 98.4% to 100%). However, less than half were correctly restrained (no error=27.3%, 95% CI 10.8% to 43.8%, no serious error=43.8%, 95% CI 35.0% to 52.7%). For any error, the odds of error decreased by 39% per year of age (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.81) and for serious error by 25% per year (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.93).

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate high levels of appropriate restraint use among children across metropolitan Sydney approximately 10 years after introduction of legislation requiring age-appropriate restraint use until age 7, however, errors in the way restraints remain common.

Implications For Public Health: Given the negative impact incorrect use has on crash protection, continuing high rates of incorrect use may reduce effectiveness of legislative change on injury reduction.