Child restraint use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in 12 communities in NSW

EXTENDED ABSTRACT: Despite the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in road related deaths and serious injury, little is known about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children travel in cars. We conducted interviews with 601 parents and carers and 367 observations of children in cars as they arrived at preschools, day care centres and Mums and Bubs groups across 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in New South Wales. While 93% of children were observed to be restrained in some way (323/349), 16% (54/329) were not in the right restraint for their age, highlighting the need for a community based child restraint program working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities targeting optimal restraint use.