Children should use car seats or boosters until they are at least 11 years old or 150cm tall to reduce the risk of injury in road accidents, according to new advice from the Department for Transport.
Research by its THINK! road safety campaign found that almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of parents stopped using child car seats when their children were aged six or younger.
Only 41 per cent of parents of children aged seven to nine, and 26 per cent of those with children aged ten to 11, said their child always travelled in a car seat. Marianne Le Claire, head of child safety research at the Transport Research Laboratory, said children should not be put in adult seatbelts because they would not fit them properly and it could heighten the risk of injury, particularly to the chest, lungs, abdomen and spine.
For details of the DfT's road safety campaign, see the website www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk.
