Child car seat safety

The Child Car Seat study is a research study looking at the factors that help or hinder proper child car seat use.

We are interested in the use of information sources about the correct use of child car seats. We are hoping that the study will help reduce the level of incorrect use of child seats and thereby reduce the risk of injury to children in the event of a crash.

The findings from the study will help us develop the best possible set of informational materials so that all children in Australia using car seats can travel as safely as possible.

The car seats we’re studying:

• The Britax Compaq car seat $249. Suitable for 0-4 years (Convertible Car Seat, i.e. rear-facing and forward facing modes)
• The Britax Maxi Guard Pro car seat $439. Suitable for 6 months-8 years (Forward facing, 6 point harness)

Please note: car seats must be purchased through the research team once participants are registered for the study. The car seats involved are not ISOFIX compatible.

What’s involved:

1. You will purchase the car seat online through a secure encrypted external commercial payment website (E-way). Payment details will not be made available to any party other than the payment website. The prices of the two car seats match the lowest available online prices, for the respective seats. If you find a lower price online and send us a current link to it, we will endeavour to price-match.
2. The car seat will be delivered to you, along with some additional study materials, within 5 working days. The study materials that included with the child car seat are additional to what is normally included with the manufacturer’s instructions. They are compiled by experts in child safety. There are two sets of materials, focusing on different aspects of information about car seat use. You will be randomly assigned to receive one set of materials or the other. At the conclusion of the study, you will have access to the information received by the other group.
3. You will use the car seat for 6 months. 
4. After 6 months, we will get in touch with you to organise a home visit to conduct a safety check of the child car seat in the car, and do a quick questionnaire. The home visit takes around 30 minutes. 
5. That’s it! After the home visit, we will notify EWay, and they will refund $100 to the account or credit card you used to purchase the car seat.

Ethics approval number: HREC/18/POWH/361.

You may be eligible to participate in this study if you:

• Are over the age of 18 years old
• Live within a 2-hour drive of Sydney
• Hold a current driver’s license
• Own a car
• Are the parent or other primary carer of a child who will use the new car seat.

No experience with using child seats required.

If you are interested in assisting with this important and exciting area of research, please contact the study facilitators:

• Call a member of our research team on 9399 1234
• Text “car seat study” to 0488 824611 and we will call you
• Email child-safety-study@neura.edu.au 
• Visit https://www.neura.edu.au/clinical-trial/car-seat-study and register your interest online.