Per new EU directive to become part of UK Law - children up to the age of 11/12 will be required to be strapped to a child seat. The government reckon this will save 2000 child passenger lives per year//
I thought we were mowing them down per that advert ...
Under current UK law - I am legally bound to strap Rachael (now 16 months) into her toddler seat if she is my front seat "navigator"
and all other categories are covered by a clause which says that children aged 11 or under must be in a child seat if available This means that if I have the child seat and the kittens do not use it - I commit a crime. Under current UK law children of any age can sit in the back without a car seat and if under three years - they do not need to wear a belt - but 3 to 11s must be belted up in the rear seats (Funny - thought I read in my copy of Highway Code that I was responsible for seatbelt wearing for up to and including 14 year olds... )
Now under EU Directive 2003/20/EC - the law will change to a MUST for all kids up to age 11/12 whether in front or back seat of the car.
Failure to strap the kids into the seats will mean a £30 spot fine for each child
and a maximum fine of £500 if parent decided to fight it in court.
The only excpetions are taxis (which do not usually have kiddy seats on board...) and emergency trips to hospital or doctor where time would be "of the essence" and any parent of wriggling kitten knows they can be right little tinkers at times.
However, families with more than 3 children are given some leniency as three car seats do not always fit in the rear ... and the third child will be allowed to travel using a belt.
Argghh! The rogues and Rachael - I foresee cat fights to come over the seat belt in the back..
Ah - but reading further - Classic Cars are exempt. Right - to solve it - they ride in the "bone shakers"
Motoring groups are giving a cautious welcome - stating that any measure which protects our young is a good thing - but appealed to police to use discretion over this.
RAC's Kevin Delaney wrote:
Some will view this as nanny state intrusion - but we have to go beyond this where children's safety is concerned. Children cannot make the same choices that an adult makes
Oh - tell that one to my kids ..
I'll get the "Aww But Papa!" over all this
Quote:
But whatt the police must not do is use this to meet performance targets for fines. A warning will have more impact than fines
Yep - sounds about right..
Stephen Ladyman wrote:
Most people make sure the children have some kind of restraint - but it is vitally important that an adult belt must not be used until the child is old enough
It seems though that this directives is aimed mostly at our continental partners. Most of us in the UK do secure the kids into child seats in the rear of the car anyway - and Rachael's current seat cost me £120. I shall purchase more seats for Lukas and Andrew - but Lukas is a tall lad for his age..and likely to be 4 ' 5" by the age of 9 at the rate he's growing....and thus would be allowed by size to use a proper grown up seat belt due to size.. and that will solve potential grumbles in the back for me
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