Any child under the age of 14, whilst travelling in a vehicle, front or back, must wear a seat belt or appropriate restraint. The safest way for younger children to travel in cars is in a child seat that is suitable for their weight and size. The wearing of such restraints will greatly increase their chances of survival, should the vehicle they are in be involved in a crash.

The Problem:

Even in a minor crash, an unrestrained child would be thrown from the car through one of the windows.

In a crash at just 30mph, an unrestrained child would be thrown forward with a force 30 to 60 times their body weight. They would be thrown about inside the vehicle, injuring themselves and quite possibly seriously injuring (or even killing) other people inside the vehicle. They are also likely to be ejected from the car through one of the windows.

It is not safe to hold a child on your lap. In a crash, the child could be crushed between your body and part of the cars' interior. Even if you are using a seat belt, the child would be torn from your arms - you would not be able to hold onto them, no matter how hard you try.

It is also dangerous to put a seat belt around yourself and a child (or around two children).

To be effective, child restraints must be fitted and used correctly. Surveys have consistently shown that a high proportion of child restraints are incorrectly fitted, usually for one or more of these reasons:

" Seat belt too loose

" Seat belt not routed through child seat correctly

" Buckle crunch (buckle resting against part of the childs seat frame, which means that in a crash it might break or snap open)

" Handle on baby seat not positioned properly

" Child seat not compatible with car

" Child seat old and in bad condition

" Child too large or too small for the seat they are using

Some children go through a phase of constantly slipping out of the child seat harness or seat belt, or releasing the buckle, during journeys. This is extremely worrying for many parents and very frustrating - once a child has learnt how to do this, it is very difficult to stop them. The good news is that is seems usually to be a phase which they grow out of. Remember - Clunk Click Every Trip !