收集汽车座椅使用数据以帮助拯救生命

机动车碰撞是造成儿童伤亡的主要原因, but these can be largely prevented by placing children in the rear seat of the vehicle with proper restraints. As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rolls out National Child Passenger Safety Week this September, hg体育官网高级研究总监多琳·德·莱昂纳迪斯, Ph.D., and 阿黛尔Polson reflect on the work hg体育官网 does on behalf of NHTSA and other child passenger safety advocates to provide the data and analysis needed to support their mission of keeping the nation’s youngest vehicle occupants safe.

乘用车

Critical data are gathered by the National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS), 美国唯一一项基于概率的全国性儿童约束使用调查.S. 韦斯特设计了这个调查, which provides an estimate of child restraint use through observations and interviews, 从2006年开始每年进行一次，从2009年开始每两年进行一次. “我们训练有素的数据收集人员会去日托中心, 快餐店, 加油站, 以及全国30个县的娱乐中心,” Dr. 项目主管德莱昂纳迪斯解释道. “As vehicles with child passengers drive onto the parking lots of these businesses, we observe restraint use of all the occupants and conduct brief interviews with drivers to determine the age, 高度, 重量, 比赛, 以及车内儿童的种族.“

“These data provide NHTSA with national estimates of child restraint use and allow safety advocates to understand how frequently children may be in restraint types that are inappropriate for their age, 高度, 和重量,” Dr. 德·列奥纳迪斯说. “它还告诉我们，在不同地区和人口群体中，约束的使用是如何变化的, 帮助国家公路交通安全管理局定位其项目, 消息传递, 推广正确使用儿童约束装置的重要性.”

儿童乘客安全技术员

尽管近年来儿童约束的使用有所增加, many children are still at risk for serious or fatal injuries because they are either riding unrestrained in vehicles, 被不恰当地束缚住, 或者太早系上成人安全带.

hg体育官网 is a proud program partner for the National Digital Car Seat Check Form (NDCF), 以及国家安全委员会(NSC), 田纳西理工大学, AAA山西集团, 和国家公路交通安全管理局. 国家发展基金提供了一个全国性的, standardized data collection tool that allows certified 儿童乘客安全技术员 (CPSTs) and instructors to digitally document whether the child is in the appropriate car seat for their age, 高度, 和重量, and document errors related to how the car seat has been installed as well as how the child has been secured in the car seat.

“These data provide an unprecedented opportunity to develop a nationwide database of information related to child passenger safety that can improve the efficacy of car seat programs and help guide engineering and design improvements for car seats and vehicles, 州的女士. 韦斯特的项目主管波尔森说. “Safety advocates use the data to gain valuable insights into how car seats are used and help them provide targeted outreach and education,她补充道。. Polson.

作为NDCF团队的一员, hg体育官网 cleans and analyzes the collected data and makes the analyses easily available to CPSTs across the U.S. 每月生产3000多个定制仪表板. “By digitally documenting what is observed and done at car seat checks using the NDCF,” explains Ms. Polson, “we can quickly get accurate data into the hands of technicians who can then educate parents and caregivers to help ensure children are properly restrained for every ride.”

专车限制使用

越来越多的儿童乘坐共享交通工具, and how caregivers and ride-share drivers are navigating car seat use in for-hire vehicles is largely unknown. There is a lack of research on best practices for promoting child safety in ride-share vehicles, 监管不一致(例如.g.、罚款的严重程度、儿童约束法所涵盖的儿童年龄等.) only contribute to the confusion on the part of caregivers and for-hire drivers.

To gain a better understanding of caregiver and ride-share driver behaviors and attitudes related to securing their children in ride-share services, 韦斯特正在为国家公路交通安全管理局进行一项观察性研究. “We plan to augment the observational data by conducting focus groups with caregivers who use ride-share vehicles to transport their children and ride-share drivers to gain a better understanding of perceptions related to child safety restraints, 责任, 以及增加汽车座椅使用的潜在干预方法,博士说。. De leonardi.

Dr. 德·列奥纳多和她的妻子. Polson note that experienced hg体育官网 transportation researchers bring large-scale observational survey experience, 儿童乘客安全专业知识, and skilled statisticians to the table enabling hg体育官网 to help NHTSA and other transportation safety stakeholders save lives and reduce injuries.