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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.
This series of observational surveys to determine child safety seat use in Virginia began in 1993 at the request of officials of Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles. During all 5 years (there was no survey in 1995), data for metropolitan areas were collected at the same locations, at the same time of day and day of week, and in accordance with 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 Virginia Department of Health (VDH), which is now responsible for the state's child safety seat program. In addition, VDH requested that sites be added in communities with a population between 50,000 and 100,000 (mid-size cities), so 7 sites were added. The 1998 data show that the proportion of children riding in the front seats has shifted. For metropolitan area occupants under 4 years of age, the proportion of front seat occupants was 19.6% in 1997 and 7.3% in 1998 (p
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%.
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%.