Child Safety is being flouted by many British drivers as new research finds one in four are not applying with child-seat laws.

LV=Streetwise showed it was extended family and friends who were most likely to ignore the legislation.

The law states drivers must make sure children under 12 years old and shorter than 135cm (4’5’) use proper car parts, either a child seat or booster seat while travelling in a car.

These measures have reduced the risk of fatality by 71 percent, the Department for Transport Road Casualties in Great Britain showed.

“Many drivers are still confused about the law on child seats and restraint,” said Alison Shelton, LV=Streetwise spokesperson.

“The five minutes it could take to install a child seat and check that everyone is safely secured may make the difference between life and death.”

Over half of motorists admit to never using or not owning a child seat and a fifth said they do not use them on every journey with a young passenger.

The research shows, more than four years on following the new regulations 32 percent of drivers with children are unclear about the new law.

One in five admitted they were unaware a law even existed regarding child seats in cars and one in ten disregarded the seat as they do not think it is necessary or will not make a difference in an accident.

Car Safety Measures

Motorists are urged to comply with legislation on safe driving to ensure their lives and others are not put at risk.

There is an increased risk of serious injury to the driver or front seat passenger also if the backseat passenger is not properly strapped in and thrown forward.

Check your seat belts are working correctly and can be accessed by all passengers, if you have an old car where there are no seat belts in the back you can buy them at a reasonable price online.

Please share your thoughts

You must be logged in to post a comment.