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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In the state of Washington,
the booster seat use rate for children under the age of six and weighing
up to 60 pounds, is estimated at approximately 6 percent. During Washington's
2000 State legislative session, the State legislature passed the nation's
first booster seat law, which is aimed at increasing the booster seat
use rate and improving safety for children between 40 and 60 pounds.
The new law does not become effective until June 2002. However, because
booster seats and their proper use are widely misunderstood, the Washington
Legislature is concerned that steps should be taken to bolster voluntary
use, even prior to implementation of the new law.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Booster
Seat Use project is to increase booster seat use for children in the
40 to 60 pound weight range, throughout Washington. Project objectives
include:
- Gathering data regarding
perceptions among the general population about the use of booster
seats
- Targeting programs developed
under the Booster Seat Use project for children under the age of six
and weighing up to 60 pounds
- Developing a statewide
educational campaign designed to meet the project's goal
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
In 2000,
following passage of a new state law to increase booster seat use, the
Washington State Legislature directed the Washington Traffic Safety
Commission (WTSC) to coordinate a statewide public information campaign
to encourage voluntary booster seat use in advance of the new law taking
effect in 2002. The following activities were developed for this occupant
protection effort:
- The WTSC
first identified the child passenger safety (CPS) "stakeholders" to
be involved in a booster seat initiative. They included CPS instructors
and technicians, law enforcement personnel, public health agencies,
hospitals and volunteer organizations. Once established, the stakeholders
began hosting meetings throughout the state to discuss current attitudes
about booster seats, and identify areas of resistance regarding booster
seat use
- The WTSC
and CPS stakeholders developed a booster seat use survey to be administered
statewide
- A market
research firm was commissioned to conduct research, using focus groups,
in order to measure public attitudes about booster seats and their
use
- Posters,
brochures, fact sheets, and educational videos were developed and
are being distributed to the general public, particularly to daycare
centers
- A special
display developed for the Booster Seat Use project encourages parents/guardians
to weigh and measure the height of children to determine which child
safety seat or a booster seat would be appropriate
- Media events
are being sponsored by CPS stakeholders to promote the Booster Seat
Use project and generate local news stories
- A public
service advertising campaign makes use of buses, billboards and the
radio
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