Comparative performance of rearward and forward-facing child restraint systems with common use errors: Effect on crash injury risk for a 1-year-old occupant.

Overall, errors in use tended to have a larger negative impact on forward-facing restraints than rearward-facing restraints. Given the widespread nature of errors in use, this adds further weight to arguments to keep children rearward-facing to 12 months of age and older. The results also highlight a variation in response to errors across differently designed restraints, suggesting the influence of errors may be minimized by restraint design that is more resistant to errors.