UK parents are putting their children at risk of injury while driving and risk landing a hefty fine, by failing to use a suitable car seat.
Research of 2,000 parents found that 34 per cent have allowed their children to travel without a suitable child restraint.
In addition to this, around 37 per cent have driven with someone else’s child as a passenger with our a suitable child seat for them.
One in ten also admitted to travelling short distances without their child or children safely secured in the car.
Shockingly, 16 per cent revealed that their little ones have travelled while sat in the boot of the car, while more than a fifth have perched them on a cushion.
The study also found 32 per cent have driven with their children sat on someone’s lap and 20 per cent have ‘squeezed’ their kids into a backseat containing four or more passengers.
A lack of understanding of the rules and laws, not having suitable access to seat and a number of other factors contribute to these lapses in concentration.
Father-of-four, Jon Sumroy, who invented mifold, said: “There’s certainly confusion among parents about what’s required to keep their children safe.
“A car seat belt chest strap must lie on the clavicle (collar bone), over the edge of the shoulder and the lap belt should rest on the bones of the hips.
“When a child is too small for a seat belt, as is the case before they are 135cm tall, it can cut into their face or neck and ride up onto their soft stomach – this is incredibly dangerous in the event of a collision.”
Around 85 per cent of the parents surveyed believed that the Government should provide more information to educate drivers on child car seat laws.
A quarter of those surveyed were unaware of the dangers of children using a standard seat belt without a correct child restraint, and half didn’t know a child could slip under a lap belt in a crash.
A spokesman for road safety charity, Brake, which has partnered with mifold, said: “Child safety is paramount and too many children are being affected by road crashes, devastating families and ruining lives.
“Parents need to take responsibility for keeping their children safe, whether in their own car or in vehicles driven by other family members or childcare providers, by using appropriate restraints at all times.”
Parents or drivers caught carrying a child under the age of 14 while not buckled up correctly can face fines up to £500.
