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Original poster

new car seat law how will parents enforce it

89 replies

2shoes · 14/06/2006 14:12

just seen a bit about it. doesn't affect me as dd is in a wheelchair and ds is 14. but how ill parents enforce it. If you have say an 8 yr old who regards them as "baby seats".
This is a direct quote from an 8yr old. i was giving him and his mum a lift. already had ds and his mate in the car so assumed that said boy would sit in dd's sn seat which goes up to 11. he refused as it was a "baby seat" and instead sat on his mums lap( didn't offer a lift again due to other reasons as well)
so made me curious I think it is a good idea by the way.
over to you:o

OP posts:
kayzed · 16/06/2006 12:30

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mumfor1standfinaltime · 16/06/2006 13:44

Kayzed I know what you mean about sporty size seats, we had a Nissan 200sx and it had very small space in the back and no leg room for ds legs hanging over the car seat. Not sure what the answer is, except buy a boring 'family' car like we had to!

poohbear11 · 19/06/2006 12:42

Just thought you might like to know that the police in my area have been targeting the school run in conjunction with the schools to highlight the number of people not wearing seatbelts, children not properly restrained etc. They let ev1 off the first time but warned they will be back!!!

TheDullWitch · 30/08/2006 20:32

God, it starts next week so I suppose I m going to have to buy two boosters for my 10 and 8 yr olds. Just when you thought you no longer needed any of that baby paraphenalia. My dss are seriously pissed off as they like to lay along the seat on long journeys still in a seat belt. It feels to me like another nanny state intervention to make us paranoid about our children. I wonder how heavily Britax and what-not have been lobbying. It will make them ££££££ in extra business.

LIZS · 30/08/2006 20:35

Starts 18th September.

TheDullWitch · 30/08/2006 20:39

I don t think I m going to bother getting those boosters. Dss will never go in them. They consider them baby seats. They DoT suggests they "name" their seat. I don t think going to visit Bertie The Booster will impress a ten-year-old.

hulababy · 30/08/2006 20:44

Simple for me. No car seat = no car ride. If you have a car and a child under the legal requirements then it should be a part of your essential equipment IMO. Been in a big accident - car seats saved the children. Not worth the risk in my opinion!

misdee · 30/08/2006 20:44

TheDullWitch, I am a 5ft 3 adult. 2.5 years ago we were involved in a crash at slow speed with a 32 tonne LGV. even tho the seat belt was positioned as low as possible in the car, it still tore my neck to pieces. I am still in pain, and take painkillers.

booster seats should be bought, £15 to keep your child safe isnt a lot.

who is the adult here? you or your children?

LIZS · 30/08/2006 20:46

how tall are they ? If over 135cm they don't legally need one anyway, and I'm sure some of ds' Year 4 class are already that, but even if below they just need the booster cushion part, hardly worth risking a fine and their safety for.

hulababy · 30/08/2006 20:46

I don't undersatnd the whole my child won't wear it reasoning. I am the adult in my house, regardless of what age DD gets to. My car = my rules. If they don't use the car seat, they don't get the ride. that's all this is to it.

TheDullWitch · 30/08/2006 20:47

But the police say it is a completely unworkable law, there are so many exemptions etc. Why doesn t the government just have a big belt up yr kids campaign, to get those parents who don t use seatbelts at all on their children. It would be far more effective than police having to wade thru paperwork, work out whether the journey concerned was a one-off or planned ahead, measuring the size of the child.

LIZS · 30/08/2006 20:49

Agree hula,. ds happily uses his booster seat still although I know many of his friends have ditched theirs. We've done loads of long drives and it is more comfortable, let alone safer.

Lilliput · 30/08/2006 20:53

I bought two booster seats in Halfords for 17.99 today and they also have other half price car seat deals too. I would say £17.99 well spent on kids safety and also better than £30 fine. They can always be sold on once kids are tall enough, it's not that big a deal is it?

Lilliput · 30/08/2006 20:56

I also don't think being mangled in a crash is going to impress a 10 year old either TheDullWitch!

jac34 · 30/08/2006 20:59

My DS twins(nearly 8yo)are already using their old ones.I was going to get rid of them,but when I saw in the news about the new law,I dug them out and made them sit on them anyway.
They protested at first,but there hasn't been a peep out of them about it for ages.
I agree with Hulababy,I'm the adult and they are the children,I say sit on them,they sit on them.

Blondilocks · 30/08/2006 21:16

LO has got a child seat which is suitable until at least 10 & we've also got a booster seat so she's used to the idea that she will have to use one of them for the forseeable future.

I don't like her to go without even on a short journey & she is very good about it. I don't like taking her friends in the car without their seats either.

She knows that it is for her own safety & if she refused to use one then she wouldn't be able to go pretty much everywhere she wants to go as we live in a rural area.

suedonim · 30/08/2006 22:27

ISTR that people thought that the original 'Belt Up' seat belt law was also nanny state-ish when it was introduced but I don't suppose you'd find many folks who'd seriously argue against the law today!

Dd is over the height requirement so strictly speaking doesn't need to use a booster or seat but as it's what she's used to I plan to continue using a seat. She quite likes it as she can see more out of the window. I would say that about half my friends already use boosters/seats for their older children. There must have been a demand over the years for seats for older children, otherwise the manufacturer wouldn't be making them.

TheDullWitch · 31/08/2006 19:38

But really how are the police going to enforce this law? Are they going to take kids out and measure them? Surely it would be better to have an awareness campaign and make suggestions about seats and heights and explain to people. Rather than an actual law with fines and penalties which the police will never ever going to enforce?

Also where should the law stop in keeping our kids safe? Maybe there should be a law against me letting my 10 year old go to Sainbury on his own or cross a busy road without me.

ocd · 31/08/2006 20:26

i must say that i haev NEVER had anyone in court for not ensuring their kid is in a seat belt. i have never heard of an on hte spot fine being used either - but i suippose you don hear about it.

TWICE an adult for not wearing a seat belt in 18 months

ocd · 31/08/2006 20:27

ds1 is 7 cm too short
he rarely goes int he car..? tiwce a week

NewTermAtMaloryTowers · 31/08/2006 20:29

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ocd · 31/08/2006 20:30

hear hear

ocd · 31/08/2006 20:31

a dn its only 3 points and fien of half your weekly salary

TheDullWitch · 31/08/2006 20:39

From the DoT leaflet
Q: We have 4 children but only a medium size car. Do they all need to use child seats and boosters?
A: If they are under 135 cms then they will all need to use the right seat or booster for their size.

Oh great, so this will mean everyone will have justification to buy a huge SUV and endanger everyone else's children!

cat64 · 31/08/2006 20:41

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