Leveraging the design of child restraint systems to reduce driver distraction

Despite the significant level of protection child restraint systems (CRS) provide to children, motor vehicle accidents continue to lead to child injury, primarily due to drivers being distracted while monitoring the children in the back. Therefore, it is hypothesised that traditional design elements included within child restraints must accommodate new technology including sensors and automated systems, in an attempt to provide drivers with real time feedback about the CRS occupants without drawing their attention away from the road. As such, an iterative process documented within this paper offers design proposals that seek to modernise CRS. In conclusion, focus group studies provided insights on the validation of the design proposals.