CHAPTER 7: ATTITUDES TOWARD ENFORCEMENT OF CHILD RESTRAINT LAWS
Support For Enforcement Of Car Seat Laws
The public age 16 and older favors stringent enforcement of car seat laws. Interviewers asked respondents their opinion of how strict police enforcement of child car seat laws should be. Respondents were asked to answer on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 meant that police should hardly ever give a ticket for a car seat violation and 10 meant that police should give a ticket at every opportunity. Almost three-in-five persons (59%) believed that the police should issue a ticket at every opportunity. The mean score on the 10-point scale was 8.68.
Figure 87
Level Of Support For Enforcing Car Seat Laws
Qx: How do you personally feel about the police enforcement of child car seat laws? On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means police should hardly ever give tickets and 10 means police should give a ticket at every opportunity for violation of child car seat laws, how strict should police enforcement be?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Unweighted N=6197
*The mean excludes respondents in the not sure/refused category.
Females were more likely to call for strict enforcement of the car seat laws than males: 65% of females believed that police should give a ticket at every opportunity versus 53% of males.
Figure 88
Level Of Support For Enforcing Car Seat Laws
By Sex Of Respondent
Qx: How do you personally feel about the police enforcement of child car seat laws? On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means police should hardly ever give tickets and 10 means police should give a ticket at every opportunity for violation of child car seat laws, how strict should police enforcement be?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Unweighted N's listed above.
There was very little difference in preferred level of police enforcement of child restraint laws between African Americans/Blacks and Whites. Hispanics were more likely than non-Hispanics to say police should give a ticket at every opportunity for car seat violations.
Figure 89
Level Of Support For Enforcing Car Seat Laws
By Race/Ethnicity Of Respondent
Qx: How do you personally feel about the police enforcement of child car seat laws? On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means police should hardly ever give tickets and 10 means police should give a ticket at every opportunity for violation of child car seat laws, how strict should police enforcement be?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Unweighted N's listed above.
See page xx for background information on racial and ethnic categories.
The level of support for enforcing car seat laws was similar regardless of whether there were children under age 9 living in the household. Sixty-one percent of persons who had a child under the age of 9 in the household favored ticketing at every opportunity, as opposed to 59% who did not have a child in that age range living in their household.
Figure 90
Level Of Support For Enforcing Car Seat Laws
By Presence Of Child Under Age 9 In Household
Qx: How do you personally feel about the police enforcement of child car seat laws? On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means police should hardly ever give tickets and 10 means police should give a ticket at every opportunity for violation of child car seat laws, how strict should police enforcement be?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Unweighted N's listed above.
Regardless of their attitude about police enforcement of child car seat laws, respondents age 16 and older were asked what they thought the minimum fine should be for violation of the laws. A majority (59%) believed the fine should be $50 or more, with more than one-third of the public (36%) favoring a fine of $100 or more.
Figure 91
Preferred Minimum Fine For Violation Of Car Seat Laws
Qx: What do you think the minimum fine should be for violation of child car seat laws?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Unweighted N=6197
Attitudes About Occupant Restraint Requirements For Children Who Outgrow Car Seats
Ninety-four percent of persons age 16 and older agreed that children should be required by law to wear safety belts once they have outgrown car seats, including booster seats. Three percent disagreed and 1% believed that it depended on the age of the child.
Figure 92
Children Should Be Required To Wear Safety Belts
When They Have Outgrown Car Seats
Qx: What about when children outgrow a child car seat, including booster seats? Do you agree or disagree that they should be required by law to wear seat belts when riding in a vehicle?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Unweighted N=6197
The sum of the percentages in the pie chart does not equal 100% because the numbers are rounded.
Those who agreed that children should be required to wear safety belts after outgrowing car seats/booster seats, or said it depended on the child’s age, were asked if there was an upper age limit beyond which children should not be required to wear safety belts. The vast majority (86%) rejected the notion of an upper age limit by saying that safety belt use should be required for all children (which equated to 82% of the total population age 16 and older). The remaining respondents either offered a specific age as an age limit, reversed their previously stated support for the safety belt requirement, or said they did not know if there should be an age limit.
Figure 93
Age At Which Children Should No Longer Be Required To Wear Safety Belts
Qx: What about when children outgrow a child car seat, including booster seats? Do you agree or disagree that they should be required by law to wear seat belts when riding in a vehicle?
Qx: How old do you think children should be before they are not required by law to wear seat belts or do you think all children should be required to wear them?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Unweighted N's listed above.
As stated on the previous page, 82% of the public age 16 and older believed that all children should be required to wear safety belts after outgrowing car seats (86% of the 96% who agreed there should be a requirement or said it depended on the child’s age). Females (86%) were more likely to favor the requirement for all children than were males (78%).
Figure 94
Believe Children Of All Ages Should Be Required To Wear Safety Belts
If They Are Too Big For Car Seats By Sex Of Respondent
Qx: What about when children outgrow a child car seat, including booster seats? Do you agree or disagree that they should be required by law to wear seat belts when riding in a vehicle?
Qx: How old do you think children should be before they are not required by law to wear seat belts or do you think all children should be required to wear them?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Unweighted N's listed above.
The sum of the percentages in the pie chart does not equal 100% because the numbers are rounded.
More than three-quarters of persons in each racial/ethnic group believed that all children should be required by law to wear safety belts after outgrowing car seats.
Figure 95
Believe Children Of All Ages Should Be Required To Wear Safety Belts
If They Are Too Big For Car Seats By Race/Ethnicity
Qx: What about when children outgrow a child car seat, including booster seats? Do you agree or disagree that they should be required by law to wear seat belts when riding in a vehicle?
Qx: How old do you think children should be before they are not required by law to wear seat belts or do you think all children should be required to wear them?
Base: Total population age 16+.
Unweighted N's listed above.
See page xx for background information on racial and ethnic categories.