Child seating position and retraint use in the Ibadan metropolis, South Western Nigeria

Abstract

Different measures, including placing children in the rear seats of vehicles and the use of age- appropriate restraints have been developed to reduce injuries among children during a motor vehicle crash. Many of these measures are not universally adhered to. This cross-sectional, observational study was accordingly conducted to describe child seating position and restraint use in the Ibadan Metropolis, south western Nigeria. Observations were made at selected primary school gates in 3 of the 5 Local Government Areas (LGAs) which make up the metropolis. Data on 796 children riding in 440 vehicles were collected. Driver restraint use was 48.0%. Restraint use among the children was 4.1%. Two hundred and twenty-three (28.0%) children between the ages 0-13 years were seated in the front, most, 86 (38.6%) of whom were aged 1-4 years. Just under a half (48.3%) of restrained drivers had at least one child seated in the front of the vehicle compared to 47.6% of unrestrained drivers. Children were more likely to be seated in the front when the rear seat was unoccupied. In addition, children were more likely to be restrained when riding in a vehicle with a restrained driver. There is an urgent need for multi-disciplinary action geared towards improving child passenger safety practices in the Ibadan metropolis. Legislation, health education and availing affordable child restraints will go a long way towards ensuring the safety of children in motor vehicles.