Get your child’s car seat checked at Aylesbury Tesco this Monday

Road users can get their child car seats checked this Monday, 11^th March, between 10am – 2pm at Tring Road Tesco, Aylesbury. The pop up event will be held by Thames Valley Police (TVP) with team members from In-Car Safety Centre there to help with the checks. Supported by the County Council’s road safety initiative, Travel Safe Bucks, the event is part of a month long focus on seatbelt safety in Buckinghamshire. There will also be a pop up event on14^th March between 10-2pm at Kingston District Tesco, Milton Keynes.

Car seat facts:

-        You should always buy car seats new, and from a trusted retailer. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is

-        Car seats should always be replaced after a collision

-        Babies and toddlers should not be strapped in wearing a coat; a thick coat creates too big a gap between the baby’s body and the harness, meaning they will be less protected in the event of a crash

-        It is estimated that two thirds of car seats in the UK are not fitted correctly

Throughout March TVP and Travel Safe Bucks are reminding drivers and passengers of one of the most basic ways to stay safe on the road – with the correct restraint, whether that is a correctly fitted car seat or a seatbelt. Since seatbelts became compulsory in the 1980s it is estimated over 2,000 lives have been saved every year.  However, despite this, some drivers and passengers are still not wearing them.

Sgt Rob Heard, Road Safety Sergeant for Hampshire, commented: ‘You are twice as likely to die in a collision if you are not wearing a seatbelt and in the event of an collision if unrestrained, you will hit the windscreen, or the front seat in the case of a rear seat passenger at a force of 30 to 60 times your own body weight.

Unfortunately some people are becoming complacent and feel a collision will never happen to them. People sometimes feel I am only driving locally and at a low speed so I will be ok. However research has shown that many collisions occur at low speed and within in few miles of home. I would always recommend to people to wear a seat belt every time you travel in a vehicle, it's just not worth the risk.'

Seatbelt Facts

-        It has been compulsory for drivers and front seat passengers to wear a seatbelt since 1983, and for rear passengers since 1989

-        You could face an on-the-spot fine of £100 if caught not wearing a seatbelt, or up to £500 if it goes to court

-        It is the responsibility of the driver, by law, to ensure that passengers under the age of 18 are wearing a seatbelt in their vehicle

-        Car users are twice as likely to die in a collision without a seatbelt

Mark Shaw, Deputy Leader and Transportation Cabinet Member, welcomes the focus on seatbelt safety: ‘A seatbelt probably saved my life some years ago when my car was hit from behind while I was waiting at traffic lights. While the injuries to my lower body were severe, they were nothing compared with what might have happened if I hadn’t been restrained. I urge everyone to make that little click every time you travel, it’s a tiny act that has massive benefits.’