Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to determine parents’ and drivers’ knowledge, use and beliefs of child restraints amongst lower middle-class groups in South Africa. The study was qualitative in nature, and data was collected from parents or drivers of children aged birth - 11 with a motor vehicle in Gauteng. Through the application of the convenience sampling technique, a total of 14 parents and drivers with children at selected pre-schools and primary schools, who are in the lower middleclass groups and who reside in the cities of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, were selected. The Morse and Field Approach was used to analyse the data because the steps of this data analysis method are clear, easy to follow and comprehensible. There is a lack of knowledge and usage of child restraints among lower middle-class parents and drivers within Gauteng. The results also indicate that there are variables that are predictive of age-appropriate restraint use and knowledge, and that parents hold specific beliefs around child restraints. Lastly, the results indicated that the parents and drivers have rarely seen any advertisements on child restraints in South Africa. By exploring the topic of usage, knowledge, beliefs and the social marketing of child restraints, strategies have been identified on how to overcome the major challenge of child injuries in motor vehicle accidents in South Africa. This study promotes child restraint usage on South African roads and assists organisations in South Africa to better understand that social marketing is necessary to change the behaviour of parents with regard to child restraints usage.