Mohamed Ahmed Al-Awad , Mohamed Kharbeche , Faris Tarlochan
{"title":"Evaluating child restraint system (CRS) adoption and policy interventions worldwide: a review","authors":"Mohamed Ahmed Al-Awad , Mohamed Kharbeche , Faris Tarlochan","doi":"10.1016/j.iatssr.2025.09.003","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global disparity in Child Restraint System (CRS) adoption contributes directly to variations in road traffic mortality and morbidity among children. Despite the proven effectiveness of CRS in reducing harm, its adoption remains inconsistent across regions due to socio-economic, legislative, and cultural factors. This review evaluates global CRS adoption rates, identifies barriers to effective utilization, and explores interventions to enhance usage and legislative compliance, ultimately proposing strategies to improve child passenger safety.</div><div>A total of 93 articles published between 2013 and 2024 were reviewed, with a focus on CRS usage and intervention patterns, the effectiveness of interventions, and legislative impact across high, middle, and low-income countries.</div><div>The review highlights a significant gap in CRS usage between high-income and low to middle-income countries, with affordability, lack of awareness, and inadequate legislation as primary barriers. High-income regions showed better adherence but struggled with proper installation and misuse. Intervention strategies, including legislation, public education, and economic incentives, showed varying success in improving CRS adoption.</div><div>Enhancing global CRS usage requires stringent legislation, comprehensive campaigns, economic support, and innovative technological solutions. Tailored strategies that account for regional socio-economic and cultural norms are essential to achieve widespread adoption and proper CRS use, ultimately reducing child passenger fatalities and injuries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47059,"journal":{"name":"IATSS Research","volume":"49 3","pages":"Pages 362-373"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"IATSS Research","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0386111225000330","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"TRANSPORTATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The global disparity in Child Restraint System (CRS) adoption contributes directly to variations in road traffic mortality and morbidity among children. Despite the proven effectiveness of CRS in reducing harm, its adoption remains inconsistent across regions due to socio-economic, legislative, and cultural factors. This review evaluates global CRS adoption rates, identifies barriers to effective utilization, and explores interventions to enhance usage and legislative compliance, ultimately proposing strategies to improve child passenger safety.
A total of 93 articles published between 2013 and 2024 were reviewed, with a focus on CRS usage and intervention patterns, the effectiveness of interventions, and legislative impact across high, middle, and low-income countries.
The review highlights a significant gap in CRS usage between high-income and low to middle-income countries, with affordability, lack of awareness, and inadequate legislation as primary barriers. High-income regions showed better adherence but struggled with proper installation and misuse. Intervention strategies, including legislation, public education, and economic incentives, showed varying success in improving CRS adoption.
Enhancing global CRS usage requires stringent legislation, comprehensive campaigns, economic support, and innovative technological solutions. Tailored strategies that account for regional socio-economic and cultural norms are essential to achieve widespread adoption and proper CRS use, ultimately reducing child passenger fatalities and injuries.
期刊介绍:
First published in 1977 as an international journal sponsored by the International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences, IATSS Research has contributed to the dissemination of interdisciplinary wisdom on ideal mobility, particularly in Asia. IATSS Research is an international refereed journal providing a platform for the exchange of scientific findings on transportation and safety across a wide range of academic fields, with particular emphasis on the links between scientific findings and practice in society and cultural contexts. IATSS Research welcomes submission of original research articles and reviews that satisfy the following conditions: 1.Relevant to transportation and safety, and the multiple impacts of transportation systems on security, human health, and the environment. 2.Contains important policy and practical implications based on scientific evidence in the applicable academic field. In addition to welcoming general submissions, IATSS Research occasionally plans and publishes special feature sections and special issues composed of invited articles addressing specific topics.