Its now Law in the UK for kids under 4.5 feet tall to use a child seat in cars ,?

Question

£30 on the spot fine or £500 if it goes to court !

Does this mean that if I don't buy one I can phone the police and ask them to pick my daughter up from school and drop her home ?

Surely it's there job to prevent crime or is this just another money spinner .

Answer 1

not sure if these booster seats r 4 every child under 12 and also anyone else under 4'5''. or is it o.k 2 b 13yr old but 4'4'' pretty confusing stuff. and when i now take my son 2 football can i no longer bring his team-mates home in the car without going to argos for 4seats? all i know is this law is out on monday.

Answer 2

Both a money spinner and a possible life saver.

If your daughter's seat belt cuts across her neck and you have an accident it is very likely to cause serious damage, you would never forgive yourself and probably curse the car manufacturer.

On the other hand Woolworth's sold something like 10,000 car seats last weekend!!!!

It is a good idea to have the booster seat but some kind of aid should have been offered to those on a low income.

According to a survey on radio 2 many people will not bother with the boosters because it is virtually un-policeable. Hou will they know if your daughter is sat on a car seat as they drive past at 30mph??

Still. I have bought 1 for my 7 year old son and he loves it, plus it makes me feel better knowing i have done my best to keep him safe.

Answer 3

So you care that little for your children that you won't spend the money for a booster seat? You would rather raise a stink about someone wanting your kids to be safe? Man, anyone have a kid now days, can't they??

It's been that way in the US for a while now. And in looking at the injuries caused by children that size and under due to the seat belt not fitting them right, spending the $20 for a booster seat is money well spent for a safe kid. I would like my daughter to be around for a few years.

Addition:

4.5 feet tall? My 10 year old nephew (considered small for his age) is taller than that. All one needs is a booster - they make them. All they are is a durable plastic with a cushion on it for sitting. It is more symplistic than the ones that are in restaurants. Just spend the money for them.

By the way - my 13 year old nephew is 5 feet 6 inches tall. He doesn't look that much taller than most of his friends. If you are putting a 12 year old in a booster, they are pretty small.

Answer 4

I think its a crime not to have your precious kids in car seats, people are moaning about the cost, can you put a cost on a child life, a booster seat for a child can be bought for less than £30....
My children have been involved in car accidents through no fault of ours, the booster seat saved them injuries, but in one crash, his father hadn't fastened our son in properly, on impact the booster flew out from under him, he was almost strangled ,it seriously bruised his windpipe and neck just as if he hadn't been on a booster. So yes £500 is justified, about time these innocents are protected from potential injuries, if people can afford to run a car they can surly buy a car seat. The law is the law and about time, just hope that the police in force it.

Answer 5

They prefer to target the motorist than to tackle real crime because they are an easy target and it makes them look more successful.
Im led to believe that these new car seats are safer than just the seatbelt as the seatbelt doesnt fit someone under 4.5 feet properly, yet dwarves under 4.5ft dont have to use a carseat which makes it sound more like a money spinner to me.

Answer 6

Its to save more childrens lives. The police are responsible for upholding the law and to be honest they won'tbe really enforcing it too harshly unless you're a persistent offender.

My friend crashed the other day with her daughter in a seatbelt but not in a carseat. She subtained skull fractures and split open part of her face, shes having plastic surgery to reconstruct part of her face.

Answer 7

omg i cannot beleive you are moaning about is this another money spinner, yes of course its the police to be there and prevrent crime, and you saying about phoning the police up to collect your daughter and bring them home, is not going to help those who are trying to get trough to the police and alert off any crimes happing. anyhow you been a mother should take pride in place in yourself knowing that you have brought your child a booster seat and alowed her saftey to become paramount, for how much money this will cost you.do yo really think that this should have been made a law? well i think not if everyone had child seats in there car to allow children to alinged correctly in the back or front off a car so that the seat bealt fits securely and that if a car crash does take place that there child lessons its chances to become seriously hurt and badly injured, as paretns off children i think we should be setting a example to them from a early age that it is not acceptable not to where or use opproprate saftey messures while in the car, and its a sad shame a high percentage of parents do not think of there childs saftey at all times. and it has taken for a law to become in force to faulse paretns to take apporitate messures to make there children a high percentage off saftey once again,and not just thinking off themselfs, well if im correcet those who drive do where saftey belts which fit securely accross the body. i know i can hold my head up high and say that my childrens saftey has always been my first port of call, even if i have me 10 year old sulking in the back off my car telling me she will not put on her saftey belt on i will not move my car regardless where i have to be.so those to all who are using them and are not moaning about money give yourself a pat on the back and to you lot who are moaning about money and how the law should protected your children well be ashamed.i know i can hold me head up high and say to my girls i did everything i could to make you safe while you was in my care and in my care, and hopefuly we will live to grow old together

Answer 8

I would never disagree with protecting our children as much as possible from as many forms of harm as possible, but it seems to me that someone is on a nice little earner from this bit of legislation!!

What happens if the vehicle catches fire? That bit of time to remove the safety harness and then remove the child could be fatal!!

Answer 9

Love your questions helen. But have you tried it? Ring the police.
'Excuse me, desk sergeant, but could you stop handling those cases of murdereres, rapists, paedophiles, muggers, bank robbers, and Jeffrey Archer, and, instead, bring my daughter from school in one of those nice, shiny police cars. I haven't got a child safety belt?'

Well, now, what colour purple do you think the sergeant's face is likely to go?

Nice question, though, good anarchist material.

Answer 10

No it doesn't mean you can phone them up it means you land yourself with a fine.Don't you care about your daughter?If you want to kick off on this one get in touch with your EURO MP don't take it out on the police.