CHILD CAR SEAT SAFETY
Wearing a seat belt saves lives
The law
Airbags
What if there are not enough seat belts available?
Seat belt use
Pregnant women
Child restraint system
Baby seat warning
Child seat
Booster seat
Carry cots
Exemptions from seat belt wearing
Contacts

CAR SAFETY- Is your child safe in their car seat?

More than 2 million children face injury or death because their parents don’t fit their car seat properly. 64 children were killed in cars in the UK last year. So what can we as parents do to make sure our children are travelling safely.

WEARING A SEAT BELT SAVES LIVES

Since 1983 when it became a legal requirement many people have been spared death or serious injury by wearing seatbelts.

Everyone knows they should wear a seat belt in the front seat, but how many people still don’t realise how dangerous it is not to wear a seat belt in the back. In a crash at 30mph , if you are unrestrained, you will hit the front seat, and anyone in it, with a force of between 30 and 60 times your own body weight.

Such an impact could result in death or serious injury to both yourself and front seat occupants.

Any awards for damages following an accident may be reduced if you were not wearing a seat belt.

THE LAW

AIRBAGS

Air bags are not substitute for seat belts and are designed to work in conjunction with seat belts. In the front seats you should sit as far back as reasonably possible from the steering wheel or dashboard in order to reduce the possibility of injury from an inflating airbag in an accident.

Follow the advice in your vehicle handbook and talk to the manufacturers if you have any specific questions about the operation of airbags.

WHAT IF THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH SEAT BELTS AVAILABLE

The law does not prevent you from carrying more passengers than there are seatbelts and restraints. If you have to choose who rides without a belt or restraint, remember that heavier passengers can cause greater injury to others in an accident than lighter passengers.

If no child restraint is available for children under 3 years, it is generally safer for them to wear an adult belt in the back seat, rather than no restraint at all.

SEAT BELT USE

Driver and front seat passengers sit as far back as is reasonably possible from the steering wheel or dashboard to reduce the possibility of serious head or chest injuries in an accident.

Lap-and-diagonal belts provide more protection and should be used before lap-only belts.

Never put the same seat belt around yourself and another passenger (adult or child).

Adjust the seat belt properly. Place the lap belt as low as possible over the hips - not over the abdomen. Ensure the shoulder belt lies on the chest and over the shoulder. Do no leave any slack in the belt.

Many cars are now fitted with height adjusters for the diagonal strap. The diagonal strap should be adjusted to lie centrally over the shoulder and away from the neck. Adjust the strap so that it lies in contact with your shoulder and slopes up and back to the anchorage point.

Do not interfere with the correct function of the seat belt by fitting any comfort devices that are not recommended by your vehicle manufacturer.

Do not attempt to improve seat belt comfort with padding or cushions. It is also not advisable to sit on any mats or cushions other than those originally fitted by the vehicle manufacturer.

Avoid thick clothing (such as coats and jackets) under the seat belt.

The centre rear seats of many cars are fitted with a lap-only seat belt that must be adjusted manually., It is important that you adjust such belts for a snug fit over your hips without any slack.

PREGNANT WOMEN

Like all drivers or passengers, pregnant women must wear a seat belt unless their doctor certified that they are medically exempt - there is no automatic exemption.

Wearing one may not be comfortable, but it improves safety for mother and the unborn baby. The lap strap should go across the hips, fitting comfortably under the bump, while the diagonal strap should be placed between the breasts and around the bump.

A lap-and-diagonal seat belt is preferable to a lap-only belt; however wearing a lap-only belt is better than wearing no belt at all. In cars fitted with airbags, the front seat (whether the driver’s or front passenger’s) should be pushed back as far as practical.

CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEMS

Injuries to children can be significantly reduced if they use a suitable child restraint. Child restraints come in a wide variety - baby seats, child seats, booster seats and booster cushions - and they must always carry the United Nations E mark or BS Kitemark. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when fitting a child restraint.

Before buying a child restraint you should try it in your car to make sure it can be fitted properly. A properly installed restraint should be firm, with no excessive forward or sideways movement, and the buckle of the seat belt should not rest on the frame.

Beware of old or second hand baby and child restraints which may be damaged or worn out and which may not have the correct fitting instructions.

Rear-facing baby seats provide very high levels of protection and are generally safer than forward-facing seats but they should never be used where a front seat is protected by an airbag.

The appropriate restraint depends on the weight, size and age of your child. Below is a table giving the approximate age and weights of children for which the different types of child restraint are appropriate.

However, for specific information in relation to your child, you should refer to the packaging and manufacturer’s instructions for the suitability of the restraint for your child.

Baby seat up to 10kgs (22 lbs) birth - 9 months

Child seat 9kgs to 18 kgs (20-40lbs) 6 months - 4 years

Booster seat 9kgs to 25kgs (20-55 lbs) 6 months to 6 years

Booster Cushion 15kgs to 36kgs (33-80lbs) 4 years to 11 years

BABY SEAT WARNING

Never use a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat of a car fitted with a passenger airbag. This is because the restraint will be too close to the dashboard and in an accident, the expending airbag is liable to cause serious or fatal injury to the child.

For a very young child, this is the safest type of restraint available. A baby seat is rear-facing and can be fitted in the front or rear of a car using the adult lap-and-diagonal seat belt, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

It is slightly safer to use the seat in the rear than in the front of the car; a portable baby seat can be convenient to use and carry, and you are more likely to use it on every journey.

Some baby seats can be converted into forwards-facing child seats and may therefore be usable until your child is about four years old.

CHILD SEAT

A child seat is a separately-framed seat designed to be secured either by an adult seat belt through it frame, or by its own retention straps. The child is then restrained by the seat’s integral harness, which has the advantage of being specifically designed for a child.

Remember to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when fitting the restraint. A child seat can be forward or rear facing.

A child seat integral harness should include a crotch strap which will prevent the child from sliding out feet first under the belt in an accident.

BOOSTER SEAT

This is for a child who is too large for a child seat or booster seat. It is designed to raise a child so that the adult seat belt can be used. It must be used as instructed by the manufacturer. Some booster cushions have guides to improve the position of the adult seat belt across the hips and shoulder.

CARRYCOTS

Carrycots with restraint straps are not designed to withstand the considerable forces generated in an accident. A baby seat is safer and more convenient than a carrycot although doctors may occasionally advise the use of carrycots - eg for premature babies.

The best advice is that carrycots should be used only if the alternative for a child is to travel without any restraint at all.

Never put a child in the luggage space of hatchbacks or estate cars except in a restraint specifically designed for that purpose.

EXEMPTIONS FROM SEAT BELT WEARING

There is a specific exemption from the seat belt wearing regulations on medical grounds. There are some other exemptions, for example, when reversing.

If you think you should not wear a seat belt on medical grounds, please consult your doctor. He/she will decide and, if warranted will issue with a formal ‘Certificate of Exemption from Compulsory Seat Belt Wearing’.

This must be produced if the police ask you for it.
If you are claiming certain benefits you may be entitled to assistance towards the cost of any medical examination for an exemption certificate.

CONTACTS

Your local Police Accident Prevention Officer can be contacted at the following locations

Belfast: 9070 0267

Antrim: 9446 3555 x 30179

Ballymena: 2565 3355 x 41021

Portadown: 3833 4411 x 37272

Derry: 7136 7337 x 58621

Enniskillen: 6632 2823 x 54034

Newtownards: 9182 9033

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