Legislation / Enforcement and Creating Awareness

In countries where car use is rising most rapidly, the use of seat-belts and child restraints is low. As child restraints are not installed within vehicles like seat-belts but must be purchased and fitted by parents it is more challenging to achieve high usage rates, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Comprehensive programmes of legislation, law enforcement, public education and publicity are needed to promote the benefits of seat-belt and child restraint use and to ensure compliance once legislation is in place. Such campaigns may focus on young people, and can be used both to increase awareness and to help make wearing seat-belts a social norm.
Community projects can also employ parents and peers to encourage young people to wear seat-belts.