Safe Speed Forums

http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/latest/dft.htm from May 06.
The key proposals are that:

All children under 3 years old must use an appropriate child restraint when travelling in a car or goods vehicle (except in a taxi if a child seat is not available);
Children aged 3 or more years old and up to 135 cms (approx 4 ft 5 inches) in height must use an appropriate child restraint when travelling in cars or goods vehicles fitted with seat belts (few exceptions are permitted);
Rear-facing baby seats must not be used in seats with active frontal air-bag;
All child restraints must conform to modern safety standards, meaning UN-ECE Regulation 44.03 (to apply from May 2008); and
Where seat belts are provided, the number of people carried in the rear of vehicles may not exceed the number of seats available fitted with seat belts or child restraints (to apply from May 2009).

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

Wait? So at the moment, I can put more than 3 people in the rear of my car if I want? This could be pretty useful actually - please advise.

And no doubt your insurance will already have this as a get out clause ,as the seating capacity is usually stated in your policy.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

As long as your insurance permits it then yes.

The wording of the current law is that seatbelts have to be used when available. There is nothing to stop you carrying 5 children on a 3 seater bench.

Back to the original subject...

It's good that the current rules are being clarified since it will make the choice of when to use or not use a car seat more clear cut. It's also good that they are not simply using an age cut-off as my 5 yr old is already over 4 foot tall and will be too big for a booster seat long before her 12th bithday.

But.

Who will enforce this? I see children stood up, sitting on parents lap in the front seat (with empty back seats), leaping around inside cars, several times a day. It's quite obvious the current rules are not getting through so what difference will a few more make.

I see great problems with smaller children aged 10 who have to sit on a booster seat whilst all thie peers are allowed in any seat

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

So from now on I need to carry a tape measure and a selection of car seats just in case I offer anyone a lift.

Perhaps we should all have something fitted to the car similar to what you see at funfairs. You must be this high to ride.

The dft seems to think 90% of children are wearing seatbelts??? Where to they do these checks? Certainly not round here.

I can see it now, plod lining up the occupants of a car, getting height, weight and age of each one and checking it against the type of car seat.

Clarification was needed, lots of people don't have a clue what is required or what is best. Legislation is going one step too far.

Isn't it about time that car makers made proper height adjustable seat-belts for the rear of cars or made the seat bench height adjustable.

Why, when so many new cars are fitted with ISOFIX mounting points is there only 1 ISOFIX child seat available in this country (Britax) which is the most expensive seat in it's range!

Why can you not find ISOFIX booster seats, mine keep falling off the seat when my kids get in and out of my car...it's a pain!!

that's a personal bugbear for me - we'll need 2 stage 2 carseats soon for the twins, we just can't afford to get two isofix seats!

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

I though recaro had brough out an ISOFIX seat?

Doesn't solve the problem of cost though.

No matter how hard I pull the seat belt when installing a childseat I am never satisfied with it's rigidity, espcially for side-on collisions.

it's catch 22, isn't it.

It frightens me that some drivers never check the belts once the seat is installed! I would check the stage 2 seats for the older kids weekly if not more often, now they are in stage 3 seats their belts get tightened every trip. The twins are in stage 1 rear facings so they get fixed every time too.

Having said that, I am more scared when I see kids unrestrained or worse, with the child between the parent and the belt.

The catch 22 is that I want the best seats for my children, but they cost more. We've got a couple of months before we have to get them out of the stage 1 seats anyway, I suspect we may just bite the bullet and get isofix and let mr card pay for them.

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

Tip i got one time was to fix seat in with belt, then apply a bit of downward pressure to seat and get someone to pull slack on belt back.Find it belps make seat a bit more rigid in mounting.

Still believe old fashioned britax idea was best - fitted them for my kids in days of old - the fitting kit provided fitted most cars - if not Britax would send you out a kit ,free .It fastened securely to 4 corners.Problem with hatches /estates -the over the top belt needed to go back a long way to help secure the rear seat in the case of a shunt and seat releasing.
The idea of a child set held in by existing seat belt seems like a compromise to me more so in estates/hatches with seats that can be folded down . --Just personal preference i suppose.

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

No problem with mine.

Fit loosely then stick my knee in the seat and tighten it with my weight pressing it into the seat cushioning.

It's not going anywhere.

But this is what ISOFIX was supposed to solve, the seats are just too damn expensive and some cars only have one set of mounting points (older cars don't have any).

Similar sort of idea --wonder what happened to the wonderful idea of one tyre company --they sold you a seat -think they fitted it free and wasn't there some sort of buyback clause - probably funded by whitehall , and it cost too much.

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Well I've been asking around about the original subject and nobody seems to have heard anything, including a couple of registered child minders.

So it seems there is a big publicity effort required if the new rules are to be any effect at all.

How many parents of 6-7 year olds will be pig sick to find this out just after they gave away thier car seats and booster seats!

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code