Are child and teenage occupants appropriately restrained while travelling in rideshare vehicles?

Introduction: The current study aimed to investigate the post-pandemic restraint behaviours of Australian parents when travelling with their child(ren) in rideshare vehicles and identify the factors associated with appropriate restraint use for their child(ren) while travelling in rideshare vehicles. Method: Eight hundred and twenty-eight parents of children aged 17 years and younger completed an online survey (M = 42.9 years, SD = 6.3, Range = 21.0–68.0 years; Male = 60.0%). The online survey collected participants' socio-demographic characteristics, driving behaviours and experiences, their youngest child's travel patterns and restraint use, practices regarding child restraint use in rideshare vehicles, and reasons for not using rideshare vehicles when travelling with their child. Results: Three-quarters of participants reported having travelled in rideshare vehicles with their youngest child in the past two years. Only 19.7% of participants reported that they ‘always’ appropriately restrained this child in rideshare vehicles, with a high proportion of teenage occupants (aged 13–17) not always appropriately restrained (79.0%). Participants who reported they ‘always’ appropriately restrained their youngest child in rideshare vehicles were significantly more likely to: be younger (i.e., 18–34 years), be female, have a postgraduate degree, have a higher annual household income, drive daily, ‘always’ wear their seatbelt in their private motor vehicle, and reported significantly fewer driving-related errors, lapses, violations and aggressive violations. The most frequent responses for not ‘always’ appropriately restraining their youngest child in rideshare vehicles included: the parent was not required to use one in this situation (17.9%), they were travelling a ‘short’ distance (15.6%), or driver or the parent did not have a child restraint or booster seat (8.0%, 6.9% respectively). Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight critical safety gaps in the use of appropriate restraints for children and teenagers in rideshare vehicles. These insights can inform the development of targeted interventions, such as rideshare-specific child restraint regulations, enhanced enforcement policies, and educational campaigns to increase awareness and compliance among parents and caregivers.