Background In 2014, the Eurasian Economic Community (EvRaZes) Customs Union, approved technical regulations requiring the sale, manufacture and importation of child restraints which conform with UNECE technical regulation 44.04. However, the domestication of these technical regulations has been slowed.

Description of the problem Children are dying on Russian roads. In 2014, 9302 car crashes involved children, and of those, 551 resulted in the death of children. Russia lacks child restraint policies which would mandate the sale, manufacture and use of child restraints which conform with international safety standards. In 2015, the Russian Red Cross conducted a poll showing that more than 96% of parents support using safe child restraints. A subsequent market survey showed that about 80% of child restraints sold in the Russian Federation, do not comply with the UNECE R44/04 requirements.

Results The adoption and implementation of UNECE R44/04 in Russia requires significant political will. Administrative and technical codes must be revised by a number of key ministries and government agencies. Following the poll and market survey findings, the Russian Red Cross worked with the relevant ministries and key government entities, including Presidential Commission on Human Rights, and media to call for the strengthening of child restraint policies in Russia and domestication of EvRaZes technical regulations. In August 2015, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Igor Shuvalov, ordered all relevant government agencies and ministries to implement the standards.

Conclusions The Russian Red Cross effectively used their research findings to partner with the government and speed up the implementation of safe child restraints.