Grant: Operating Grant: Population Health Intervention Research

This year two exciting laws came into effect to help keep Manitoba children safe. Starting August 2013, children less than nine years must use booster seats. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and injury for 4-8 year olds and many do not use a booster seat. As of May 2013, cyclists less than 18 years of age must wear a bicycle helmet. Children living in poverty are even less likely to use booster seats or bicycle helmets and have a higher risk of injury. To reduce the cost of obeying these new laws, there is no provincial sales tax on booster seats and bicycle helmets as of July 1, 2013 and a provincial low cost purchase program through schools has been introduced. Before the booster seat and bicycle helmet laws were passed, we counted the number of children using booster seats and bicycle helmets in the summers of 2010 to 2012: 15-31% used booster seats and 35% of all cyclists wore a helmet. We will determine if Manitoba's new booster seat and bicycle helmet laws have increased use, reduced injuries, and if the laws are protecting all children and families equally. We will compare pre-legislation (2010-2012) and post-legislation (2014-2015) outcomes, including: injury, observed booster seat and bicycle helmet use, police enforcement and infractions, parent and child knowledge/attitudes/self-reported use, booster seat and bicycle helmet cost, and availability of low-cost or free booster seats and bicycle helmets to low income families, including use of loan and low cost purchase programs. By looking at more than the typical outcomes of injury and observed use, we will examine a greater impact of Manitoba's new traffic safety laws. We will engage government officials, police, and families, to examine any unintended impacts, such as differences in use based on income. Knowledge of inequities will help design more relevant promotion strategies to increase booster seat and bicycle helmet use and ultimately reduce injury and health care costs.