Observational surveys of child safety seat use were conducted at the request of the Transportation Safety Administration of the Department of Motor Vehicles. The present survey was conducted in the four areas of the state with the largest populations. The data were categorized as correct use, incorrect use, and no use for each seat position in the car for children judged by the survey team to require safety seats under state law. Correct child seat use was higher (51.6%) in the rear seats of cars than in the front seats (40.8%). For the entire car, only 48.9% of the children were in a correctly used child seat, 33.6% of the child occupants were not in a safety seat, and 17.5% of the seats were obviously misused. The data also showed variations in the pattern of use among the four areas of the state. The rate of incorrect use was probably underestimated by this survey. There is a need to address the problems of non-use and incorrect use through increased education and enforcement efforts on the part of the state and localities.

The purpose of this report was to take a retrospective glance at Virginia's experience in getting her citizens to use the automobile safety restraint systems available to them. In Virginia, data on safety belt and child safety seat use were collected annually from 1983 until 1994. Data on child safety seat use were not collected in 1995, although safety belt use figures were again gathered. The data revealed that, for most years, the change in safety belt use rates was small. The use of child safety seats increased substantially after the effective date (January 1, 1983) of the statute requiring it. Safety belt use by front seat occupants also increased substantially following the effective date of the mandatory use law (January 1, 1988), which applied only to front seat occupants. However, use by rear seat occupants was lower in 1989 and 1990 than in 1987. Infants had higher rates of safety restraint use than did older passengers, with the infant use rate peaking in 1991. Further, belt use was higher in metropolitan areas. Both safety restraint use statutes were effective in increasing the use rates of the target populations: infants and front seat occupants. Virginia legislators should enhance the lifesaving potential of passenger restraint systems by mandating the use of safety belts by rear seat passengers.

This series of observational surveys to determine child safety seat use in Virginia began in 1993 at the request of officials of Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles. During all 5 years (there was no survey in 1995), data for metropolitan areas were collected at the same locations, at the same time of day and day of week, and in accordance with the same criteria for determining use. In 1997, data collection was added for safety restraint use by occupants 4 to 16 years of age at the request of officials of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), which is now responsible for the state's child safety seat program. In addition, VDH requested that sites be added in communities with a population between 50,000 and 100,000 (mid-size cities), so 7 sites were added. The 1998 data show that the proportion of children riding in the front seats has shifted. For metropolitan area occupants under 4 years of age, the proportion of front seat occupants was 19.6% in 1997 and 7.3% in 1998 (p