Research In Action

Child safety seats are essential for protecting children in vehicles, yet their misuse is alarmingly common. Two critical errors—loose harness straps and loose vehicle attachment—are particularly prevalent. To address these issues our team at CHOP, in collaboration with our partners at Minnesota Health Solutions, developed the Cellular Car Seat (CCS) system – a network of car seat sensors connected to a smartphone app. This innovative system educates, instructs, and alerts users to safety seat errors, leading to safer installations and a reduction in errors. 

As detailed in research published in Traffic Injury Prevention last month, to study the effectiveness of the CCS system, our team at CHOP invited 92 caregivers who were familiar with car seats to complete three scenarios using a mock vehicle setup, test doll, and a convertible child safety seat: (1) fully installing a convertible safety seat; (2) recognizing and correcting loose harness straps; and (3) recognizing and correcting loose attachment to the vehicle seat base. Half of the participants used the CCS app during each scenario and half were given only the paper child safety seat manual. 

In comparing errors/misuses present at the end of the scenario, time to complete scenario, and tension achieved on the harness straps (collected via load cell) between these two groups, our research demonstrated that the CCS system significantly improves child safety seat use in two ways: 

1. Increasing Correct Installations: The CCS system not only improved the overall percentages of correct installations but also reduced the number of overall errors per installation. 
2. Reducing Critical Misuse Errors: The system effectively reduced critical misuse errors, such as loose harness straps and base attachments, which are crucial for child safety in motor vehicle crashes. 

The CCS system's success in reducing child safety seat misuse is a significant advancement in child passenger safety. This technology represents a reliable, easy-to-use solution to help families as they navigate busy schedules and varying levels of experience with child safety seats, both of which can lead to mistakes in restraint use. 

Future CCS app features in development that might be beneficial to families include information about child safety seat recalls, other important safety tips, and updated safety seat manual information. By integrating technology with education, we can make a meaningful impact on preventing injuries and fatalities. As we continue to refine and expand the CCS system, our commitment to improving child safety remains the same – offering families the tools they need to protect their children effectively. 

Access the full published article here. 

Access car seat safety information and resources from CHOP experts here.