Recreational Vehicle and Child Passenger Safety Working Group

The Recreational Vehicle and Child Passenger Safety (RV-CPS) Working Group was established on January 2, 2012, to study the safety of transporting children in recreational vehicles (RVs).  The purpose is to collaborate with traffic safety regulatory and enforcement agencies, and child passenger safety educators, to provide evidence-based recommendations to parents, and caregivers, on the safety of transporting children in RVs, and to inform policymakers of potential regulatory opportunities to reduce exposure to injury and fatality among child passengers in RVs.  Ongoing collaborations for safety and education include, but do not establish endorsement of these organizations:

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Crashworthiness, Office of Defects Investigation – Med-Heavy Duty Vehicles, and Vehicle Division B (CPS)
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Operations Division; Office of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle Safety Standards
• Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), RV Industry Standards
• Manufacturers Alliance for Child Passenger Safety (recently included in 2023)

Projects and Activities

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for certified child passenger safety technicians (CPSTs). CEU webinars hosted by the National Safety Council (NSC) for Safe Kids Worldwide 2015, 2018, and 2023.

• Conference Presentations: Lifesavers 2018, 2024; Maine State CPS Conference, 2015, 2017; Vehicle Occupancy Safety Program, California Department of Public Health, 2015
• Website Outreach for Parents and Caregivers: RVs and Child Passengers - Pro Car Seat Safety
• Educational Materials for Parents and Caregivers:
  • Recreational Vehicles and Child Passengers
  • Baby Proofing your RV
• Fact Sheet: Recreational Vehicles and Child Occupants (for traffic and child passenger safety professionals)
• CPST Certification Resources: RV Resources CPSTs - Pro Car Seat Safety​
• Designed, and continue to maintain, the Recreational Vehicle Crash Database (RVCDb)

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Mission and Core Values

Mission
The Recreational Vehicle and Child Passenger Safety Working Group is dedicated to advancing the safety of children while traveling in recreational vehicles, which include Class A, B, and C, and non-motorized RVs such as travel trailers, fifth-wheel trailers, fifth-wheel toy haulers, tent trailers, and truck campers. Our mission is to promote education, research, policy development, training, and advocacy to reduce the risk of injury and fatality to child passengers in RVs.

​Core Values

• Prioritize the safety of child passengers.
• Collaboration and cooperation: Working with industry stakeholders, researchers, and traffic safety professionals and advocates is essential to achieving our mission.
• Evidence-based decision-making:  Scientific research and data to inform our recommendations and guidelines.
• Transparency and accountability: Striving for openness in decision-making processes and accountability.

By working together, we hope to take research into injury prevention and policy to reduce the risk of injury and fatality among child passengers in RVs.  ​

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Objectives

Short-term 

1. Conduct a comprehensive review of current safety regulations and standards related to child passengers in recreational vehicles.
2. Identify gaps and inconsistencies in existing regulations and standards and develop recommendations to address these gaps.
3. Research and/or develop best practice educational recommendations on emerging trends in child passenger safety in recreational vehicles.
4. Develop recommendations for improving child passenger safety in recreational vehicles, for parents and caregivers, regulators, and manufacturers.
5. Conduct outreach and education efforts to raise awareness among parents and caregivers on child passenger safety in recreational vehicles and the need for improved safety standards.
6. Identify and prioritize areas for further research and development to improve child passenger safety in recreational vehicles.

Long-term 

1. Advocate for policy and regulatory changes at the federal or state level to improve child passenger safety regulations for recreational vehicles.
2. Maintain collaboration with regulatory and industry stakeholders to develop and promote best practices for child passenger safety in recreational vehicles.
3. Conduct ongoing research and monitoring to identify emerging trends and issues related to child passenger safety in recreational vehicles.
4. Increase public awareness of the importance of child passenger safety in recreational vehicles

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The RV-CPS Working Group was established in 2012 by Dr. James DeCarli, Public Health Behavior Solutions, and can be contacted at 323-491-6197.​