By Chris Hoenig
Children from underrepresented groups don’t use the proper car seat as often as white children do, according to a study out of the University of Michigan.
Researchers found that white parents were three to four times more likely to report using age-appropriate child safety seats than parents from underrepresented groups. But the survey, which included 600 parents of kids aged 1 through 12, struggled to explain the reasons for the racial disparities. “We expected that differences in family income, parental education and sources of information would explain the racial disparities in age-appropriate restraint use, and they did not,” lead author Dr. Michelle L. Macy told Reuters Health. Most parents said they got their information from instruction manuals or by “just figuring it out,” and social norms could be one reason for the disparities, she said
