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If you are having difficulties, refer to the manufactures
fitting instructions and the cars handbook for advice. If in doubt call the
manufacturer's helpline, speak to your local Road Safety Officer or contact
the trained professional staff from where you purchased the child car seat.
Always allow plenty of time to not only fit children's car
seats correctly in the vehicle, but also the children securely in their
seats. Ensure that the children's car seat belts are adjusted properly on
every trip, and don't forget the adults too. By law, seat belts must be worn
if fitted to the vehicle.
Children must not sit in the front seat unless the correct
child car seat is fitted, or seat belt if over 135cm. By law, children under
3 years old must NOT travel in a car or goods vehicle unless they are in the
correct baby/child seat.
By law, you must NOT place a rear-facing child seat in a
seat in a front seat where there is an active airbag.
Forward-facing restraints should be moved as far back from
the airbag as possible. Children's car seats are usually designed for
different weights ranges of children. As a general guide only: - Baby seats
are for children up to 13kgs, or children who can not support their heads by
their selves, usually between birth and 9 to 12 months.
They can be fitted using the seat belts in the front or
back seat of the car facing backwards. They must not be used in the front of
a vehicle if it is protected by an airbag.
Child car seats are for children between 9kgs and 18kgs
and who can support their own heads unaided, usually between 9 to 12months
and around 4 years old.
They are usually fitted using the seat belts into the rear
of the car facing forwards, and have their own restraining belts. Booster
seats are for children between 15kgs and 25kgs, usually between 4 and 6
years old.
They utilise the adult seat belts across the chest and
lower abdomen by raising the child to a safe height for the seat belts to
function correctly as they would with an adult.
Booster cushions are for children between 25kgs and 35kgs,
usually 6 years old and over. They also utilise the adult seat belts across
the chest and lower abdomen by raising the child to a safe height for the
seat belts to function correctly as they would with an adult.
These are only a rough guide, and the manufacturer's
guidelines should always be followed. In 2006, 26 children aged 0-11 were
killed and 277 seriously injured in cars.
The number of 0-3 year olds killed was 10; seriously
injured 82 and 1,248 were slightly injured in cars. The number of 4-11 year
olds killed was 16; seriously injured 195 and 4,899 were slightly injured.
In 2006, the Transport Research Laboratory conducted a survey which showed
that 2% of 0-4 year olds were not restrained in any way in the rear of cars
and 11% of 5-13 were not restrained at all in the rear.
If you or your children have been involved in a road
accident you may be able to make a compensation claim. For more information
on our "no win no fee" claims service select our
road accident claims page.
For more information on child car seat safety visit the
Royal Society for the prevention
of Accidents (RoSPA). Variable s |
