New child car restraint laws which could save up to 2,000 child casualties per year will come into force on 18 September.
Road Safety Minister Stephen Ladyman said:
"From 18 September parents will have to make sure that, with very few exceptions, children up to 4' 5" in height use the relevant child car seats or boosters in cars, vans and other goods vehicles. I expect that the police will seek to educate as well as enforce, but ultimately parents face being fined if they don't comply with the new rules.
The Department of Transport have been running an awareness raising campaign throughout the summer to ensure parents are aware of the changes and understand the new legislation before September."
The changes mean that:
 all children under 3 years old must use the correct child seat when travelling in any car or goods vehicle (except in the rear of a taxi if a child seat is not available)
children aged 3 years and under 12 must use the correct child seat/booster seat/booster cushion when travelling in cars or goods vehicles until they reach about 4' 5" (135cms). Few exceptions are permitted
taller children and all those aged 12 and over need to use adult belts
rear-facing baby seats must not be used in seats with an active front air-bag. There are some specific practical exemptions - for taxis, emergency vehicles, and (for children aged 3 and over) journeys over a short distance in an unexpected necessity
in mini-buses, buses and coaches, seated passengers aged 14 years and above must use seat belts where they are fitted. We will be consulting on further regulations which will be made as soon as possible requiring children under 14 years to use seat belts in these vehicles.
Further regulations will be introduced in due course so that:
where seat belts are provided, the number of people carried in the rear of cars and goods vehicles may not exceed the number of seats available fitted with seat belts or child restraints (to apply from May 2009)
modern UN ECE Regulation 44.03 (or later) type-approved child restraints must be used from May 2008. Most restraints in use already meet this standard.
To make it easier for parents to get the right information and equipment to comply with the changes the DfT will be running an awareness raising campaign on press, radio, online and magazines, with a helpline providing access to further information.
In addition, Halfords, Mothercare and Toys R Us, and other stores are supporting the Department of Transport's THINK! road safety campaign and the change in the law by providing special offers on car seats and booster seats up until the end of September 2006.
Stephen Ladyman added:
"Children are not small adults. Making sure that they keep using child seats/boosters until they are 4' 5" in height will mean that they are properly secured for their own safety. Seat belts are designed for adults. Children who have grown out of child seats still need to use booster seats or booster cushions until they are big enough to graduate to seat belts. Most people make sure that children use some kind of restraint but it is important to use the right one for the size of the child and to take the time to fit it properly; and not to use an adult belt before the child is big enough."
For more information about the campaign visit www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk or call 08000 32 72 52 for a leaflet.
The penalties for not using a seat belt or child restraint remain at a £30 fixed penalty notice or a maximum fine of £500 if a case goes to court.
Why do children need child restraints?
When a vehicle is involved in a crash it comes to an abrupt halt. If not restrained, occupants will have their own crash into the vehicle structure. Restraint systems are therefore designed to help keep people away from the vehicle structure and to distribute the forces of a crash over the strongest parts of the human body, with minimum damage to the soft tissues.
Adults are restrained by a three point seat belt. This is designed for adults and not for children. Children are not small adults. They are proportioned differently and their key organs are in different places. Their tissues have different strengths and weaknesses and their needs change as they grow. Therefore they need a child restraint system to cope with the different stages of their development.
Infants
At birth, the infant head is around a quarter of their total length and about a third of their body weight. An infant's skull is very flexible, so a relatively small impact can result in significant deformation of the skull and brain. The smaller the child, the lower the force needed for injury. The infant rib cage is also very flexible. Impact to the chest can result in a large compression of the chest wall onto the heart and lungs, and some of the abdominal organs. The infant pelvis is unstable and cannot withstand the forces from an adult restraint system.
A rear facing child restraint system is the only solution to provide the best protection for infants up to 13 kg weight.
Childhood
The bone making process is not complete until the age of 6 or 7 and throughout childhood a child's skull remains less strong than that of an adult. A restraint system needs to limit forward head movement in a frontal impact and provide protection from intrusion in a side impact. A child restraint should therefore distribute the crash forces over as wide an area as possible. Belts and harnesses therefore need to fit well and be properly positioned as designed by the manufacturer. The restraint system should also provide protection as far as possible from contact with the vehicle interior in both front and side impacts.
The best type of child restraint for early childhood is the child safety seat. The integral harness secures the child and spreads the crash forces over a wide area. This seat will last them until either their weight exceeds 18kg or they grow too tall for the height of the adjustable harness.
Booster seats are best used only when a child has outgrown a safety seat and are designed for weights from 15 kg to 25 kg. These raise the seating position of the child so that the adult seat belt lies properly across the chest and in particular low across the pelvis - if the adult belt is too high across the stomach, then in a crash, serious internal injury could result, or the child could submarine under the seat belt. The booster seat has a back and can provide some protection in a side impact. Booster cushions are designed for weights from 22 kg to 36 kg but manufacturers are now producing boosters with backs that cover both weight ranges.
August 2006 |
Breastfeeding - Baby 'Pain-Killer'
