children not wearing seatbelts - advice please

[moniker]

On the way to work this morning I was following a car with 2 children in - one in the front and one in the back. Neither were wearing seatbelts and were primary age. I wrote down the number plate and called the police station. They said that they wouldn't do anything unless I went and made a formal complaint and that the CPS could then prosecute. I've phoned the police about this type of thing several times before and never been told that. What would you do? I thought they would just send someone to have a quiet word and make sure the kids were wearing seatblets. I had thought I could maybe telephone the school and see if they had any ideas. Or am I just getting too involved and maybe it's non of my business - but I worry about the kids. TIA. PS won't be around until much later to check on this.

[SoupDragon]

You could phone the school, explain your concerns and suggest they send out a safety leaflet reminding parents about the law.

[SoupDragon]

Then you'd feel you had done something without really becoming involved IYSWIM.

[Janh]

Oooh, moniker, what a rotten position to be in! It's a pity the police can't just go round and tell them off.

Agree with soupy, ring the school and as well as leaflets, maybe they could have an assembly with ROSPA or someone to tell the kids the possible consequences, then they will make their parents be more careful? (You know how kids will nag their parents to give up smoking after they've had one of those presentations? I'm dreading the day DS2 gets the same thing about drinking!)

[Soulfly]

I often see kids without seatbelts and actually in this months school newsletter they put abit about kids not wearing seatbelts and can they please make sure they do.
Afew weeks ago when i was visiting my dad we got out the train station and got a taxi, i made sure i strapped both kids in even thought we didn't have car seats.
The taxi driver said, that the amount of kids that don't put belts on them. And was really impressed that i had done so.
I guess these people don't think it will happen to them, until someday it might.

[suedonim]

I think the school idea is a good one, too. That stops it from being personal but arms the children with info they can use. You never know, maybe the children would start using their seatbelts even if the parents took no notice.

As an aside, if you think we're bad in the UK, look at this. It makes me want to cry.

[CountessDracula]

Oh god what a nightmare, can't believe that the police wouldn't do something. Is there a lollipop person near the school, could you have a word with them and ask them to mention it to the parent concerned.

I am v paranoid about this ever since a little friend of mine was killed when I was about 7, her parents were driving down a country lane at night and she was in the back, no seatbelt, peering through the gap between the front seats, and a tractor with no lights came the other way and she went straight through the windscreen and was killed immediately. I think I would be tempted to say something myself and risk the wrath of the parent.

[moniker]

Thanks for your help guys! I phoned the school yesterday and spoke to the head. He was a bit off with me at first leaping to the defence of his parents but then said he would personally go out and look for the car and have a quite word with the parent and remind all the kids. So hopefully if I see that car again (I pass the school every day) the kids will be wearing seatbelts. Thanks for your advice. M xx

[Freckle]

Oh I had exactly the same situation this morning, except that the car was following me - I could see a child in the front seat without a seatbelt (although the mother had carefully strapped herself in) and there was another child bouncing around on the back seat. The road was very busy and it would have been dangerous to stop otherwise I might have been tempted to get out and point out that it is actually illegal to have children in a car like this. She might be more careful if she thinks she might be prosecuted, even if she couldn't give a t*ss about the safety of her children.

Unfortunately, due to only seeing it in my rearview mirror, I couldn't make out the whole number plate.