Austroads project to investigate harnesses/vests

Currently, there is a lack of research and knowledge about specialty harnesses/vests, which are often used by children with disabilities and medical conditions when travelling in motor vehicles.

This survey is part of a two-year Austroads project MACA is leading in partnership with The George Institute for Global Health to improve knowledge about harnesses and vests, and how they are used.

Survey outcomes will contribute to the development of information and recommendations to guide harness/vest use for children.

This guidance will be incorporated into MACA’s specialist training programs and inform school and government policy relating to access and use of specialty harnesses/vests in motor vehicles. It is anticipated that this will lead to improved safety and participation outcomes for children.

The survey is open to Australian and New Zealand parents/guardians (aged 18 years or older) with children (under 16 years) who currently use a specialty harness or vest when travelling in a motor vehicle.

The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes.

You’ll be asked about your experiences in accessing and using specialty harnesses and vests for your child. For example, the research team is interested in how parents access harness/vest products, what products are being used, the type of vehicles they are being used in, and parents’ experience of using harness/vests.

You'll have the option of uploading a photo of your child using the harness/vest if you choose to.

Participation in this research study is voluntary and you can withdraw at any time during the survey by simply closing the browser tab.

However, due to the anonymous nature of the survey, you will only be able to withdraw from the study before submitting your survey response. Once you have submitted your survey response, we may not be able to remove your answers as it will not be linked to you and will be kept in an unidentified format.

The results of this two-year research study (2022-2024) will be published in report format and in a scientific journal. This will be done in a way that will not identify you.

MACA will also publish information on its website and incorporate content into training programs.

If participants would like to receive a copy of the results, there’s an opportunity to let the research team know during the survey.

Before you begin, the survey provides comprehensive participant information including relevant contacts for any enquiries. You can also email us at contact@macahub.org