Abstract

Background: Prevalence of Motor vehicle accidents related injuries and deaths are increasing in children. The proper use of car safety seat (CSS) could help to prevent trauma in young children occurring from motor vehicle accidents. The study aimed to assess the awareness, attitude, and practices related to CSS among parents in Taif city of Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out using a pretested and validated questionnaire which included a total of 500 participants who are parents and residents of Taif, from January to April 2019. The questionnaire included 24 items which were divided into three parts. The data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 23. Pearson’s Chi-square was used to test association with any possible variables.
Results: Our study consisted of 77.9% of females and 22.1% of male participants. According to the knowledge related to car safety process 75.5% of the participants see that car safety seat is “always” important, whereas 1.4% considered it as “not important.” The overall prevalence of use of car safety seat among the participants was found to be 47.3%. The prevalence of CSS using as reported by female participants was 48.7% and in male it showed 42% of use.
Conclusion: Overall, Taif residents had a positive attitude toward car safety seat and a good knowledge about it and about its use. Traffic departments, with the help of health authorities, can conduct campaigns stressing the importance of CSS use to prevent trauma and disabilities related road traffic accidents.

Key words: Car safety, traffic injury, children, seat belts