One pediatrician from the Oregon Health and Science University is now pleading with car seat manufacturers and hospitals alike to change the way they conduct their business as he can show that data demonstrates most new parents do not know how to properly install a car seat.
Of course, this results in grave injury for many young children, perhaps even death.
Dr. Benjamin Hoffman is the director of the Doernbecher Chidlren’s Hospital’s Tom Sargant Safety Center. As the lead author of this new study he says, “What we found was exactly what we were expecting to find, unfortunately. We knew from our experience in working with a number of families that misuse is very common.”
Indeed, the research team assumed that most new mothers were not ready to drive their newborns home from the hospital. The study showed that out of the randomly observed 291 new mothers and babies, almost 100 percent knew how to properly install a car seat and properly position their infant within it. In their research, roughly 95 percent of these parents made one or more errors and around 91 percent made a significant error which could greatly increase the risk for injury or even death.
Furthermore, approximately half of these families made four or more errors in either installing the car seat or in proper use of the car seat.
Hoffman actually warns that many families do not even consider the details of installing and properly using a car seat until it actually comes time to put their newborn infant inside of one. By then, he warns, it is too late.
Hoffman tells, “Think back to the day or two you spend in the hospital and how well prepared you were truly to go home. It’s a very difficult time to ask parents to learn stuff. It’s a really bad teachable moment.”
Thus, he says he hopes the result of this study will encourage both car seat manufacturers and vehicle manufacturers to develop new and safer, more user-friendly products.
Dr. Hoffman tells, “Car safety seats are much more difficult to use correctly than they should be. Vehicle and car seat manufacturers must work together to develop systems that are easier for consumers to use and understand. Further, health systems should provide resources and support both before and after birth, especially to the most vulnerable infants, to ensure the safe use of car seats.”
