Citation

Segui-Gomez M, Wittenberg E, Glass R, Levenson S, Hingson R, Graham JD. Am. J. Public Health 2001; 91(2): 311-313.

Affiliation

Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass, USA. mseguigo@jhsph.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, American Public Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11211647

PMCID

PMC1446549

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the impact of Rhode Island's legislation requiring children younger than 6 years to sit in the rear of motor vehicles. METHODS: Roadside observations were conducted in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in 1997 and 1998. Multivariate regression was used to evaluate the proportion of vehicles carrying a child in the front seat. RESULTS: Data were collected on 3226 vehicles carrying at least 1 child. In 1998, Rhode Island vehicles were less likely to have a child in the front seat than in 1997 (odds ratio = 0.6; 95% confidence interval = 0.5, 0.7), whereas no significant changes in child passenger seating behavior occurred in Massachusetts during that period. CONCLUSIONS: Rhode Island's legislation seems to have promoted safer child passenger seating behavior.