ESs6 Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 I have had look at the links before posting this but still not too sure. I dont have kids so no child seats or restrictors in my car. A friend who is carless has 5 yr old twins and a 7 yr old and I was going to take them to the coast for the day. However reading some posts and the gov site it seems for a day out and a special treat for the kids who have only seen the sea once in their lives I have to buy child seats or restraints for this basic human right of a nice day out I have a 5 series BMW with 3 seat belts in the back which is where the little ones will be. It seems its ok to do this for short journeys but Sheffield to Scarborough is not a short journey. Im 45 and dont know anyone who has suffered because as a youngster they used normal seatbelts. Any info appreciated as I dont want to break the law but should common sense prevail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mary70 Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 cant you just get some cheap booster seats for them to sit on or have the parents just got seats u can transfer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayeye Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 The law states that children under 12 or a certain height have to have the correct safety seats in cars. Given the children's age i would imagine they would all be fine on booster seats for the day, you can pick the basic versions of these (complying with the law) for dead cheap, pretty sure i've seen them in Halfords for £5 each? I know its an added expense but may be worth it so you can go for the day? edit to add: booster seats in halfords for under a fiver http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/categorydisplay_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_categoryId_165554_langId_-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgksheff Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 .......... I dont want to break the law but should common sense prevail. Both the law and common sense say don't carry children in your car without the correct seats/boosters. http://www.dft.gov.uk/think_media/241015/241057/251.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xltim Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 you can buy polystyrene booster seats...they are quite cheap...less than £10 i think. not as good as the real thing but keeps you within the law, and adds a little to your childs safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brunette Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Ha ha ha ha - I love that you rate their "basic human right" of seeing the sea higher than the one of being *safe*. LOL. If you're that bothered, take the train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgksheff Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 IThe OP does contain several items of potential bait like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESs6 Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 thanks for the quick replies, this outing will probably be a one off but must admit I didnt realise the boosters were so cheap (thanks for the Halfords link). I think I was picturing full child seats and the like. Cgk, I would imagine there are millions of people over the age of 25 who have been in cars for 1000s of miles before the introduction of child seats and are still alive, and fit and well to tell the tale, this is what I meant by the common sense bit. Whilst not denying they may be better a 3 hours in a normal car aint going to do that much damage. However, I will invest in 3 of the boosters from Halfords. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eater Sundae Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 At that age, they will only need boosters. These are basically pads which lift them up by about 4 or 5 inches, and allow you to use a normal adult belt. Without these, the lap part of a lap and diagonal belt will tnd to squeeze into the soft tissue of the stomach in an accident. The boosters have a sort of horn shape at each side, which the belts are looped around. This keeps the lap section further forward, on the lap as it should be. The kids backs go against the car backrest. Is the centre seat belt a lap and diagonal, because I don't think that you can use these with a lap only belt - but I'm not sure. Also, these boosters tend to be a bit wide, so its worth checking that you can fit three side by side. The cost of boosters does seem to vary quite a lot, so it would be worth shopping around. We bought one from Lidl which was cheap, but they only have them as specials, so they are not likely to be available when you want them. Edit. Everybody else beat me to it. I'll either need to learn to type more quickly or type less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Squirrel Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 The main reason booster seats are needed is because of the way seatbelts work.. without them, the child sits too low and in the event of an accident can either slip through the belt completely or suffer serious neck injuries. Unfortunately, 'normal' cushions dont 'lift' in the same way.* I could say that i never suffered as a result of never having a booster seat as a kid... the fact is that my dad never had an accident and its a good job too because back then, child seats were unheard of and rear seatbelts were never fitted. Looking back, its not surprising how many people were killed in road accidents every year. * Edit: Also what Eater Sundae has said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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