Buckle Up!
With the return of our children back to school, as busy parents, we look to juggle
work with school hours, after school clubs and often having children at different
schools. Participating in a child collection rota with other parents, can be very
attractive.
If you are thinking of picking up other children or asking someone else to take over
this responsibility, having the appropriate car restraints in the car or to hand, is
crucial. The driver of any vehicle has the legal duty to ensure that the correct child
restraints are being used. This is regardless of whether or not that child’s parents
would have put them in a different sized seat in their own car.
The law is that the correct child restraints must be used for children up to the age
of 12 years or up to 135cm in height, whichever is first.
There are well publicised safety guidelines for each type of restraint system for
use for babies, toddlers and older children, normally dependant upon the child’s
weight.
This issue was considered in a recent Court of Appeal decision that dealt with a
personal injury claim that was brought on behalf of a little girl who was injured in
a car accident. It was made very clear that If the driver places a child in a seat that
is unsuitable based upon the manufacturer’s safety guidelines and that child is
injured, the driver may be found partly to blame for the child’s injuries. This is even
if the driver did not cause the accident itself.
Although a sobering thought, no-one would doubt that any child’s safety is of
paramount concern.
For helpful information on which should be the correct car seat for your child, go to
www.childseats.org.uk.
P5