New drive for safer car seats for kids

The council is backing a new road safety awareness campaign that aims to prevent children and babies being killed or injured because they are sitting in the wrong kind of car seat.

Research has shown that as many as eight out of ten child car seats are either not fitted correctly or are inappropriate for the child's age, size or weight. In some roadside tests many children were not wearing any kind of safety belt or restraint.

If sitting in the right type of seat and correctly restrained, a child is ninety percent less likely to be killed in a collision.

However an unrestrained child can be killed or seriously hurt in an impact at speeds as low as 5mph In a collision at 30mph, an unrestrained child would hit the front seat - and anyone sitting in it – with a force of between 30 to 60 times their own body weight.

Now the council is launching a new campaign to raise awareness amongst parents and carers about the urgent need to fit the right kind of car seat.

Safety leaflets, posters and other publicity material produced by the award-winning 'Good Egg' children's car safety campaign have now been distributed to more than 130 local schools, nurseries, hospitals, health centres and playgroups to make sure this important message gets across to mums and dads.

This information and awareness campaign will be backed up by a series of free 'car clinic' roadshows in the coming weeks where parents can have their child seats checked by safety experts.

These free safety events will take place between 9am and 3pm at the following venues:

• Southside shopping centre, Wandsworth High Street – Tuesday, June 8
• Asda, 204 Lavender Hill - Friday June 11 and Monday June 14
• Putney Exchange, Putney High Street – Tuesday, June 15
• Tooting Leisure Centre, Greaves Place – Friday, June 18

The council's transport spokesman Ravi Govindia said: "The statistics are extremely worrying because they show that many of the car seats being used by parents are not as safe as one would hope.

"That is why we are backing this campaign and why we would urge parents to carefully read the publicity material being distributed around the borough and to also take advantage of the free car seat clinics that have been organised this month.

"These checks will only take a few moments and they could save your child from very serious injury."

Alan Kenndey, chairman of Road Safety GB – the organisation behind the 'Good Eggs' campaign added: "The Good Egg Guide is an excellent tool for parents and carers, designed to ensure that all children are restrained correctly when travelling in a vehicle. It offers good sound practical advice about buying, choosing and fitting the right car seat.

"Road Safety GB's aim is very simple. We want to reduce the number of child casualties caused in road traffic collisions and you, as a responsible adult, can do most to help us achieve just that."

For more information about the campaign and for helpful safety advice visit www.protectchildgb.org.uk.