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Child passenger safety laws in the United States, 1978–2010: Policy diffusion in the absence of strong federal intervention

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  • Bae, Jin Yung
  • Anderson, Evan
  • Silver, Diana
  • Macinko, James

Abstract

This article examines the diffusion of U.S. state child passenger safety laws, analyzing over-time changes and inter-state differences in all identifiable features of laws that plausibly influence crash-related morbidity and mortality. The observed trend shows many states' continuing efforts to update their laws to be consistent with latest motor vehicle safety recommendations, with each state modifying their laws on average 6 times over the 30-year period. However, there has been a considerable time lag in knowledge diffusion and policy adoption. Even though empirical evidence supporting the protective effect of child restraint devices was available in the early 1970s, laws requiring their use were not adopted by all 50 states until 1986. For laws requiring minors to be seated in rear seats, the first state law adoption did not occur until two decades after the evidence became publicly available. As of 2010, only 12 states explicitly required the use of booster seats, 9 for infant seats and 6 for toddler seats. There is also great variation among states in defining the child population to be covered by the laws, the vehicle operators subject to compliance, and the penalties resulting from non-compliance. Some states cover only up to 4-year-olds while others cover children up to age 17. As of 2010, states have as many as 14 exemptions, such as those for non-residents, non-parents, commercial vehicles, large vehicles, or vehicles without seatbelts. Factors such as the complexity of the state of the science, the changing nature of guidelines (from age to height/weight-related criteria), and the absence of coordinated federal actions are potential explanations for the observed patterns. The resulting uneven policy landscape among states suggests a strong need for improved communication among state legislators, public health researchers, advocates and concerned citizen groups to promote more efficient and effective policymaking.

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  • Bae, Jin Yung & Anderson, Evan & Silver, Diana & Macinko, James, 2014. "Child passenger safety laws in the United States, 1978–2010: Policy diffusion in the absence of strong federal intervention," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 30-37.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:100:y:2014:i:c:p:30-37
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.10.035
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rice, T.M. & Anderson, C.L., 2009. "The effectiveness of child restraint systems for children aged 3 years or younger during motor vehicle collisions: 1996 to 2005," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(2), pages 252-257.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lauren E. Jones & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2017. "U.S. Child Safety Seat Laws: Are they Effective, and Who Complies?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(3), pages 584-607, June.
    2. Ye Jin & Xiao Deng & Pengpeng Ye & Ji Peng & Juanjuan Peng & Lin Lei & Yan Yu & Leilei Duan, 2020. "The Awareness and Attitude of Parents towards the Legislation of Child Restraint in Two Cities of China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-12, April.
    3. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Melissa Oney & Joachim Marti & Jody Sindelar, 2018. "What factors predict the passage of state‐level e‐cigarette regulations?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(5), pages 897-907, May.
    4. Nathan T. Dollar & Iliya Gutin & Elizabeth M. Lawrence & David B. Braudt & Samuel Fishman & Richard G. Rogers & Robert A. Hummer, 2020. "The persistent southern disadvantage in US early life mortality, 1965‒2014," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(11), pages 343-382.

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