In Car Safety Initiative press release
Two-thirds of Scottish children in danger in cars
A major new In-Car Child Safety Initiative, designed to drive home the importance of correctly fitted seats and proper restraints for children, launches across Scotland today (14th June).
Spearheaded by a consortium of key public/private sector organisations including the Scottish Road Safety Campaign (SRSC), the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) and the Arnold Clark Group, the initiative is designed to encourage parents to take in-car safety more seriously.
Latest Scottish Executive research shows that the number of babies and toddlers aged under 4 who are not restrained in cars has increased from 1 in 20 in 1997 to 1 in 8 now. Almost 1 in 5 of children aged between 5 and 13 are also not wearing restraints.
One young mother, Pauline Thomson from Greenock learned by hard experience what the consequences can be: "My husband was taking my mother home with my baby Leona. When my mum got into the car with the baby she just sat with the baby on her knee thinking it was only a two-minute journey and it'd be perfectly all right
"He went to turn right and another car hit him. Baby Leona was thrown through the glass and landed about six feet away onto a pavement.
"A passer-by picked the baby up – he thought she was a doll - and left her on the bonnet. She was lifeless. Lucky isn't the word for it – to say it was a miracle that she survived is an understatement. It doesn't matter how much a car seat costs, you can't replace a life – there's no price on that"
Many parents are still not getting sufficient information on safety, when they were purchasing new seats. Almost 1400 seats were checked at car seat clinics across Scotland last year and over two-thirds of these were not fitted correctly.
Sir Arnold Clark, Chief Executive of the Arnold Clark Group who has sponsored the campaign commented:
"One of the greatest concerns in a car accident is the safety of young passengers and it is our collective responsibility to ensure all the correct steps are taken to make our children as safe as possible. Two-thirds of child seats incorrectly fitted is an alarming figure and yet it doesn't take much time to get it put right. It's too late after a collision. We urge parents to fit their child seats safely – it could ultimately save their child's life".
Mr Ricki Gray, Secretary of the ACPOS Road Policing Standing Committee added "All too often police officers see the horrendous consequences of unrestrained children being carried in vehicles. This campaign provides guidance for parents on the proper fitting of safety seats and seatbelts as well as offering relevant information for those purchasing child safety seats. I am confident it will be welcomed by all those who have the interests of children at heart"
The initiative, which has been developed and organised by the Dynamic Advertising Group, runs for 4 weeks across Scotland and includes almost 70 car clinics where concerned parents can have their existing seats checked.
Information on the clinics, and other safety information, can be found by following the link below.