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As ride-sharing gains popularity, concerns are growing about how children are transported in these vehicles, including personal cars used for ride-share services and taxis. A recent study, “Child Passenger Safety Perception and Practices in Ride-Sharing Vehicles,” led by Westat researchers, explored how children are restrained when traveling in ride-share vehicles (including personal vehicles used to provide ride-share services as well as taxis).
The observational survey, conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), gathered data from July to August 2022 in 2 urban areas, focusing on children aged birth to 12 years old in ride-share vehicles. The findings include:
- Substantial percentages of infants (46%), toddlers (49%), and children (51%) were unrestrained.
- Overall child restraint use rate was 8.1%, with 41% of restrained children using seat belts suggesting that while some of the children were restrained, many were not using the proper restraint for their height and weight.
The researchers of this study include Westat’s Doreen De Leonardis, PhD, Sharon Levi, PhD, Amy Benedick, Elizabeth Eisenhauer, PhD, Robyn Ferg, PhD, and Elizabeth Petraglia, PhD.