(PRWEB) October 4, 2008 -- New research carried out by LV=, the UK car insurer, has revealed that one in six drivers are breaking child car seat laws and putting their young passengers' safety at risk.
By law, drivers must ensure that all children younger than 12 and shorter than 135cm (4'5") use a child or booster seat. Without this, the risk of fatality or injury in the event of an accident rises by 71% and 69% respectively.
The new laws were introduced in 2006 and the research by car insurer (http://www.lv.com/insurance/Car_Insurance/) LV= has found many drivers are ignorant of their legal duty of care. One in five (21%) of those who fail to comply with the law say they are unaware the guidelines even exist.
Worryingly, one in ten of those who are aware of the guidelines say they just disregard them and don't bother to fit safety seats, despite the fact that the laws were brought in to ensure that all children are protected on the roads, to reduce fatalities and injuries.
Not only is the failure to use a proper child seat dangerous for both the passenger and the driver, it also carries a potential penalty fine of £500.
The LV= study shows that children are most at risk when travelling with friends of the family, with over a quarter (26%) of those admitting to not using car child seats.
The research also found that even in cases when an appropriate car seat is used, almost a quarter of drivers (24%) say they do not check the safety seat is installed properly, potentially putting their young passengers in danger.
In 2007 there were more than 3,000 child casualties as a result of road accidents, including 121 fatalities. With such high stakes, LV= is today calling on all drivers to ensure they take every precaution and install appropriate safety equipment, to protect themselves and their passengers from harm.
John O'Roarke, Managing Director of LV= Car Insurance (http://www.lv.com/insurance/Car_Insurance/), said: "Huge strides have been made to improve child safety on the road in recent years, not least with the introduction of compulsory child seats in 2006. However, it's clear that many drivers are still confused about the law and for one reason or another, are not following the legislation. So we'd urge all drivers to make sure they're aware of the guidelines -- child seats can take just five minutes to install and greatly reduce the chances of injury to everyone in the car."
LV= will automatically replace child safety seats for anyone who has taken out their car insurance policy (http://www.lv.com/insurance/Car_Insurance/) whose car has been in an accident, even if the seat looks undamaged.
About LV=
LV= and LV= Liverpool Victoria are trademarks of Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society Limited and LV= and LV= Liverpool Victoria are trading styles of the Liverpool Victoria group of companies. LV= provide a wide range of reliable and good value financial products -- from insurance (http://www.lv.com/insurance/) to savings and investments.
Notes to Editors:
Omnibus research was carried out on behalf of LV (http://www.lv.com/) by YouGov. A nationally representative sample of 2014 adults was questioned online between 4 and 7 August 2008. Results are weighted to be representative of the UK adult population. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council.
For further information please contact:
Emma Holyer
Press Office
LV=
69 Park Lane
Croydon
CR9 1BG
0208 256 6714
Emma.holyer@lv.com
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