Where does the 96%-98% misuse stat come from?

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I'm chatting with someone who is doing a piece on carseat safety and of course this statistic has come up, and she'd like a source. Fair enough. I know that real world stats verify this (my own, when I get stats from checks, what they used in class) within from about 92%-100% misuse depending on check and area and demographics. But where do we get the 96%-98% from? Is there a single study to link it to? Same as with the 8 out of 10 installed improperly. I know if I compiled my data from what I see I'd get about this, but quoting "Wendy Thomas' checks" isn't as impressive as the NHTSA or something.

Wendy
 
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Unregistered1

Guest
I never heard that number... I only heard 80%... :confused: so I'm even more clueless than you are about where it came from, LOL.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
It varies by area. The data is collected by county and different counties have different rates. It will also vary by study method.
 

Maedze

New member
The 80% came from a survey NHTSA did from literally pulling people over and checking 'yes' or 'no'.

The 99-100% comes from personal experience.
 

WhatAboutPuppy

New member
Salem, Oregon!!
That's where those stats come from!!



I'm joking! (Sort of, as it was the case just a couple years ago here)...
To my knowledge the stats your quoting come from exactly where you're getting yours. From the sheets your fill out as you check cars at an event. I know our forms are the Safe Kid ones and that just a couple years back that was the general stat they'd get from compiling data after the check was completed.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Salem, Oregon!!
That's where those stats come from!!



I'm joking! (Sort of, as it was the case just a couple years ago here)...
To my knowledge the stats your quoting come from exactly where you're getting yours. From the sheets your fill out as you check cars at an event. I know our forms are the Safe Kid ones and that just a couple years back that was the general stat they'd get from compiling data after the check was completed.


Exactly. Although sometimes someone does a study and they average the study in with the SK data.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
So if someone wanted to quote a source with those statistics, where would they get it? The NHTSA on a quick glance says 90%-98% (I didn't read the whole study). We as techs use 96%-98% all the time. Safe Kids? NHTSA? What year? Ongoing? Meta-analysis?

Wendy
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I've never used that stat. I only know stats for the county where I was trained.

If you poked around the SK site you might find something.
 

DahliaRW

New member
It think it's interesting to note too that not all "misuse" as marked at carseat checks is necessarily deadly. I've always gotten a used properly (or equivalent) when checked, until this last time. I got misused because the tech though the headrest on my son's turbobooster should be up one notch. The seatbelt fit him properly either way, but a bit better up higher (it's a smidge above his shoulders now). Would probably function fine either way in an accident.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
It think it's interesting to note too that not all "misuse" as marked at carseat checks is necessarily deadly. I've always gotten a used properly (or equivalent) when checked, until this last time. I got misused because the tech though the headrest on my son's turbobooster should be up one notch. The seatbelt fit him properly either way, but a bit better up higher (it's a smidge above his shoulders now). Would probably function fine either way in an accident.

*nods* The CHP uses a special form for checks they participate in. They have 2 sections to check misuse. One is for the regular stuff, one is for "gross misuse"-- missing parts, expired seats, installs that move more than 1 inch, wrong belt path, child in outgrown seat, child FF before 1, etc. Stuff that is potentially deadly or crippling.

I think they keep their own stats and have a separate stat for gross misuse.
 

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