A consumer-centric approach to designing information supplied with child restraints reduces errors in use: laboratory results and field study protocol

The greatest challenge to optimal crash protection of children in cars is the long standing problem of errors in use of child restraints (CRS).We have worked with industry to address this problem through better design of information supplied with CRS. This paper presents results from a controlled laboratory-based trial evaluating these materials. Of those exposed to existing materials, 5% used the CRS without error, however of those exposed to the new materials, 28% achieved 100% correct use (p<0.001). To evaluate the effectiveness under real-world conditions, we are now conducting a field-based cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT).