An exploratory investigation of child safety seat use among citizens of the United Arab Emirates

Child car safety has significantly improved in Western nations with the use of proper child restraints over the last 40 years, but progress lags in other nations. High-income but developing Eastern Mediterranean countries experience one of the world's highest road traffic-injury mortality rates for children. This study provides a preliminary investigation of child safety seat utilization among United Arab Emirates (UAE) citizen parents. Cross-sectional survey research was used to determine child safety seat utilization proportions. Data were collected from a convenience sample composed of target citizens, which make up approximately 15% of the total population of the country. A total of 366 parents with at least one child younger than age 13 years participated. Despite prevalent car-seat giveaway campaigns and regardless of car-seat ownership, the overall percentage of car seat use among Emirati parents was low: less than 20% for their children younger than age 24 months. Additionally, of those who use a car seat, parents reported improper use. The UAE currently has no compulsory child safety seat legislation. The findings suggest the need for further studies on car-seat usage in the UAE, as well as intervention research to inform locally relevant and culturally appropriate public information campaigns.