Portsmouth City Council
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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
Please note that these are for guidance only| Restraint type | Seat facing | Weight range | Age range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby seat | Rear facing | Under 13 kg | Birth to 9-12 months |
| Child seat | Forward facing | 9-18 kg | 9 months to 4 years |
| Booster seat | 15 kg 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 up to 135cms in height, or 12th birthday, whichever they reach first | Correct child restraint must be used |
Correct child restraint mst b used where seat belts fitted, they must use adult seat belt in a rear seat if correct child restraint not available:
|
Driver |
| Child 12 or 13, or over 135cms in height | Seat belt must be worn if fitted | Seat belt must be worn if fitted | Driver |
| Adult passengers | Seat belt must be worn if fitted | Seat belt must be worn if fitted | 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
Don't:
- 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
Our Road Safety and Traffic Management Team can offer advice about fitting a child car seat, and also hold in car safety days, with Trading Standards, at local supermarkets.
Contact us on 023 9268 8262 for details of where and when you can come and get your car 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.
