Don't learn safety by accident: A survey of child safety restraint usage among drivers in Dansoman, Accra Enoch F. Sam n Department of Geography Education, University of Education, Winneba, P O Box 25, Winneba, Ghana article info Article history: Received 22 April 2014 Received in revised form 1 August 2014 Accepted 8 August 2014 Available online 4 September 2014 Keywords: Child safety restraint Accidents/crashes Private vehicle Dansoman Schools abstract Objective: The study surveyed child safety restraints use among drivers transporting children to school in Dansoman, Accra. Method: Employing a naturalistic observational method, the following were observed: sex of the driver, vehicle model, child characteristics, child location in the vehicle, whether child was restrained and how they were restrained, whether the driver was belted and the presence of other vehicle occupants. In total 126 vehicles were observed. Results: The study revealed low child restraints use among the observed drivers; children in new vehicles were more likely to be restrained; children seated in the back seat were more likely to be unrestrained; and child occupants were more likely to be unrestrained where there were other vehicle occupants. Conclusion: The study maintained that a collaborated effort by road safety stakeholders in terms of education/awareness creation and subsequent strict enforcement of child restraints use laws were required. & 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction An estimated 30 million people have been killed in road crashes since the invention of the motor vehicle over a century ago. From the statistics, it is evident that road crashes are associated with 1.3 million deaths annually (i.e. one death every 30 s resulting in about 3000 deaths per day). Additionally these crashes result in an estimated 50 million injuries per year. Ironically, with about 40% of the world's motor vehicles, developing countries seem to be the major problem as they contribute to about 90% of these casualties. It has been projected that by 2020, annual deaths resulting from road crashes would increase to 1.9 million if no effective countermeasures are implemented. Based on this projection fatalities are expected to increase by more than 80% in developing countries, but decrease by close to 30% in developed countries (Rizavi, 2011). “Children are especially susceptible to road traffic injury, and morbidity and mortality rates throughout the world reflect this vulnerability” [2, p. 301]. One-fifth of all road traffic deaths are among children. Each year an estimated 262,000 of the world's children are killed aside the 10 million others who are injured in these crashes (Peden et al., 2008). Globally, traffic injuries are among the top three causes of death for children older than age 5 years. For those aged 1–4 years, traffic injuries are among the top ten causes of death and it is projected that by 2015, traffic injuries would be the number one cause of death and disability for all children older than 4 years old (World Health Organization, 2009; Toroyan and Peden, 2007; Mathers and Loncar, 2005). Accidents involving children cause significant harm and damage physically, emotionally and psychologically and often result in serious but unnecessary damage. Children possess a number of unique developmental characteristics that contribute to their vulnerability to traffic injuries (Toroyan and Peden, 2007). A possible reason could be the fact that children have “small and still developing” bodies which are less resistant to crash forces. “Furthermore, their disproportionately large head size leads to greater number of head injuries given their higher center of gravity” (Will, 2011, p. 301). Toroyan and Peden (2007) have revealed that children's traffic-related injuries tend most commonly to be head and limb injuries, which often than not result in death or long-term disability. Children in developing Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jth Journal of Transport & Health http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2014.08.003 2214-1405/& 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. n Tel.: þ233 244242581. E-mail address: efsam@uew.edu.gh Journal of Transport & Health 2 (2015) 160–165