By Rita Colorito on May 13, 2011 in
While parents play chauffeur, their little ones might be playing Houdini in the back seat, undoing their safety belts much to their delight but to their parents' horror. According to a recent pilot study by Yale University School of Medicine, most kids start to unbuckle themselves at age three. And many children play escape artist while the vehicle is in motion, putting them at a 3.5 fold increased risk of serious injury.
The Study
Just who are these masters of extraction? The researchers surveyed 378 parents on current safety seat use, asking them at what age their children first unbuckled themselves and whether the car was in motion when the unbuckling occurred. Some tots might be considered escape artist prodigies; with parents reporting their child unbuckled themselves as early as 12 months of age. Seventy five percent of children who self-unbuckle fell in the 12 to 78 month age range. And, you guessed it, these attempts at car seat freedom were more common in boys than girls, 59 percent vs. 42 percent.
With car accidents the leading cause of death among 4- to 8- year olds, one facet that's particularly troubling is that 43 percent of children who got out of their restraints did so while the car was moving. When this happened, most parents reported pulling over, reprimanding the child and then re-buckling the car seat.
"We found that young children might acquire the motor skills to unbuckle from restraints before developing the cognitive ability to understand the necessity of automotive restraints," said Lilia Reyes, M.D., a clinical fellow in Yale School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics, in a prepared statement.
Does Restraint System Matter?
Just as Houdini never met a set of locks and keys he couldn't undo, determined toddlers are no match for even the most comprehensive of safety restraints. Twenty-nine percent of children in the study unbuckled a car seat with a five-point harness, with the chest buckle as the most common point of detachment.
In the future, the Yale researchers hope to conduct a larger study to determine which restraint device would be safer for young, prying hands. "Perhaps passive safety locks on the seatbelt can be developed as a potential option for intervention," added Reyes.
Until then, a backseat mirror might be as close as parents can get to clairvoyance and heading off any potential disaster.
See our reports on infant car seats, booster seats and convertible car seats for more information about how to buy one to contain your little daredevil.