There's no question that child auto safety seats save lives. But if they are not installed properly they don't work as well as they should. Recent studies have found that 79-94% of seats were not installed properly. One reason for improper installation may be a difficulty in reading the installation instructions.
Ten years ago, a study found that one-fifth of American adults had only rudimentary reading and writing skills. Another 25% were classified as being "marginally literate." There's little reason to think these numbers have changed appreciably.
A recent evaluation of child auto safety seat instructions found they were written between a seventh and twelfth grade reading level. The average was slightly above tenth grade level.
One reason so many parents don't properly install children's safety seats is that they can't understand the instructions. Rewriting the instructions so more parents can understand them is essential. Another suggestion from the researchers is engineering improvements to make the seats easier to install so less reading is required.
Pediatrics, 3/03, pp. 588-91.
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