Don't learn safety by accident: A survey of child safety restraint usage among drivers in Dansoman, Accra

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 backseat 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 restraint use laws were
required.