The Prevalence of Child Restraint System Use and Pattern of Child Transportation in Buraidah City

BACKGROUND: The motor vehicle crash (MVC) is a major cause of injuries and deaths among children worldwide. The child restraint system (CRS) is designed to protect children from injury and death if passengers are involved in MVC. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of CRS use for children aged 5 years and below and to explore the pattern of child transportation inside cars in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed among parents attending primary healthcare centers. Simple random sampling was used to select 330 participants. The survey was conducted from January to March 2020. RESULTS: A total of 135 (40.9%) respondents had CRS available in their cars, and only 51 (15.5%) participants reported using it ‘always’. Child discomfort, difficulty in handling CRS, and being unaware of CRS importance were the commonly reported reasons of not using CRS. The most common practiced mode of transportation, in case of not using CRS, was seating the child in the front seat on an adult lap. Twenty-eight (8.2%) respondents experienced a MVC while driving with a child; half (53.6%) of these were not using CRS at the time of the accident. Less than half (47.1%) of the participants were aware of the CRS law in Saudi Arabia. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of using CRS is low. Creating awareness among parents and strict implementation of the CRS law can lead to increase in the use of CRS which will lead to prevention of traffic-related injuries and deaths among children.