MPC Research Reports
Report Details

Title:	Proper Seat Placement of Children Aged 12 or Younger Within Vehicles: A Rural/Urban Comparison
Authors:	Andrea Huseth
University:	North Dakota State University
Publication Date:	Oct 2010
Report #:	MPC-10-227
Project #:	MPC-334
TRID #:	01325023
Keywords:	children, fatalities, front seat occupants, highway safety, rear seat occupants, rural areas, urban areas

Abstract

Seating children in the rear of vehicles has been shown to decrease the odds of being fatally injured in a motor vehicle crash by 36% to 40%. Although rear seating is safer, rates of children being front-seated remain high, especially for older children. Few states have enacted legislation regarding child seat placement, and only one state indicates a requirement that children of a certain age be rear-seated regardless of the circumstances. While differences in traffic safety between rural and urban areas have been extensively researched, only one other known study has been conducted on rural/urban differences in child seat placement. In this paper, rural and urban differences in child seat placement within vehicles are analyzed. The objective of this research was to determine if there are rural/urban differences in child seat placement exist. Based on a small sample of vehicles observed at urban and rural elementary schools in North Dakota, the results of this study indicate that there are significant rural/urban differences in child seat placement. Nearly one-third of overall vehicles observed had children seated in the front seat. Significant urban/rural differences exist in child seat placement, with children in rural areas much more likely to be front-seated than children in urban areas. Differences also exist among vehicle type, with children riding in pickup trucks more likely to be front-seated than children in any other type of vehicle. Overall, parents were aware that seating a child in the rear of a vehicle is safer.

Related Reports

• [Issue Brief] Proper Seat Placement of Children Ages 12 or Younger within Vehicles: A Rural/Urban Comparison

How to Cite

Huseth, Andrea. Proper Seat Placement of Children Aged 12 or Younger Within Vehicles: A Rural/Urban Comparison, MPC-10-227. North Dakota State University - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, Fargo: Mountain-Plains Consortium, 2010.