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In Car Safety

Warning - low flying elephants .....

Did you know that in a crash at 30mph an adults body is thrown forward with a force of 3.5 tonnes: about the weight of an elephant.  Even a child would be like a baby elephant.

It's a fallacy to think we could restrain ourselves against the seat in front or gripping the steering wheel tighter, or that we would be able to keep hold of a child. In reality our arms, our grip and our strength could not hold back an elephant. Seat belts and child safety seats, if used and fitted correctly, are designed to cope with these forces and are our best chances of preventing a 'low flying elephant' hitting us.

On 18th September 2006 the law changed regarding child restraints. The changes could save up to 2,000 child casualties per year nationwide. This will mean that all children travelling in cars or goods vehicles will need to be provided with restraints appropriate to their age or size.

Types of appropriate child restraints (for guidance only):

Restraint Type	Seat Facing	Weight Range	Age Range
Baby seat	rear facing	<13 kg	Birth to 9-12 months
Child seat	forward facing	9-18 kg	9 months to 4 years
Booster seat		15 kgs and up	from 4 years
Booster cushion		from 22 kgs	from 6 years

Summary of the Law from 18 September 2006:

Car Occupant	FRONT Seat	BACK Seat	RESPONSIBILITY
Driver	Seat belt MUST be worn if fitted.		DRIVER
Child under 3	Correct child restraint MUST be used.	Correct child restraint MUST be used, if available. If one is not available in a taxi, may travel unrestrained.	DRIVER
Child from 3rd birthday upto 135cms in height (or 12th birthday whichever they reach	Correct child restraint MUST be used.	Correct child restraint MUST be used where seat belts fitted. Must use adult seat belt in a rear seat if correct child restraint not available - - in a taxi; - for a short distance in an unexpected necessity; - if two occupied child restraints prevent fitting a third.	DRIVER
Child 12 or 13, or over 135cms in height	Seat belt MUST be worn if fitted.	Seat belt MUST be worn if available.	DRIVER
Adult passengers	Seat belt MUST be worn if fitted.	Seat belt MUST be worn if available	PASSENGER

Some Do’s and Don’ts relating to Seat Belts

Do:

Make sure that children under 3 years use an appropriate child restraint (refer to above table).

• Ensure that all available restraints are in use. Restrained in the back is best, but restrained in the front is better than no restraint at all.
• Use the appropriate seat for the weight of your child and children don’t play with the fastenings.
• Always wear a restraint, even on the shortest journeys.
• Ensure the lap part of the belt is positioned as low as possible over the hips, not across the soft stomach area, and is pulled tight.
• Check before buying a child seat that it will fit your car, not all will!
• Remember that pregnant women can still wear seat belts safely, if worn correctly.
• Remember it is the responsibility of the driver to ensure children under 14 are wearing a suitable restraint. 

Do Not:

• Allow a child to sit on an adult’s lap, even if the adult is restrained.
• Allow two people to use the same restraint.
• Allow an adult belt to pass across a child’s neck.
• Put a rear facing child seat in a front seat with a passenger airbag.
• Use an ordinary cushion to raise a child using an adult restraint.

The Road Safety and Traffic Management Team at the council can offer advice about fitting a child car seat, and also hold ‘In-Car Safety Days’, with the Trading Standards department, at local supermarkets.

Contact us on 023 9268 8262 or see the poster attached below to find out where and when to come and get your child seats checked – for FREE!

For further information relating to car seats contact the Britax Customer Service Helpline on 01264 386034 or use the website link on the right of this page and click on Fit-finder to find a suitable child seat for your car.

Associated documents:

  Poster for upcoming In Car Safety Days  (0.83 MB)