Child safety restraints can reduce risk of death and decrease injury severity from road traffic crashes; however,
knowledge about restraints and their use in Kuwait is limited. A cross-sectional, self-administered survey about child
car safety was used among a convenience sample of parents of children aged 18 years or younger at five Kuwaiti
university campuses. Of 552 respondents, over 44% have seated a child in the front seat and 41.5% have seated a
child in their lap while driving. Few parents are aware of and fewer report using the appropriate child restraint; e.g.,
36% of parents of infants recognised an infant seat and 26% reported using one. Over 70% reported wearing seat
belts either ‘‘all of the time’’ (33%) or ‘‘most of the time’’ (41%). This new information about parents’ knowledge
and practice regarding child car seat use in Kuwait can inform interventions to prevent child occupant injury and
death.
Keywords: child car safety; Kuwait; seat belts; child safety restraints, injury prevention; survey