“Silver chauffeurs” warned to brush up on car seats law

With less than one week to go until the law on car seats changes, the RAC Foundation is warning Britain’s 13.5 million grandparents to pack a tape measure next time they collect the grandchildren for a car trip.

From Monday 18th September, children older than three, younger than twelve, but shorter than 135 cm – 4ft 5” in old money – must use a child seat or booster cushion to travel in a car. The only exemptions are for taxi trips, “unexpected necessities,” or if three children need to share the back seat but there is only room for two child seats.

Each week around one quarter of families with children under 15 rely on grandparents to look after the children. These “silver chauffeurs” help out with the school run and with taking kids to after-school clubs and sports – but the RAC Foundation is concerned that they do not realise that the new law applies to these trips just as much as to regular car journeys with mum and dad.

The change in the law has been promoted on parenting websites, and via the Department for Transport’s THINK! Campaign – but many grandparents won’t be reached by these channels and may not be aware that from Monday 18th they risk a fine of up to £500 and three penalty points.

The RAC Foundation supports the new rules, which will reduce the risk of death and injury for children travelling in cars, but is concerned that not enough has been done to publicise the changes, and to explain how to comply with the new laws.

The RAC Foundation is calling for:-

Police to give guidance rather than fines in the first few weeks of the new law’s operation, as many parents and grandparents remain genuinely unaware of the changes.

Parents and grandparents to agree whose responsibility it is to buy and use child booster seats.

Motorists to take advantage of any free workshops arranged by local authorities.

Edmund King said “The real battle for image-conscious kids will be to get them back onto the boosters they thought they had grown out of. Grandparents must avoid being a soft touch.”