Every year, around 30 children between newborn and 11 years old are killed in cars, about 400 are seriously injured and over 7,000 slightly injured. The proper use of child car seats and seatbelts would prevent many of these deaths and injuries. In a 30 mph crash, an unrestrained child would be thrown forward with a force 30 to 60 times their body weight. They would be thrown about inside the vehicle, injuring themselves and quite possibly seriously inuring others inside the vehicle. They are also likely to be ejected from the car through one of the windows.

 A properly fitted child restraint that is suitable to the individual's weight and size will keep the child seated, preventing them from being thrown about inside or ejected from the vehicle.

Today the law says that all children travelling in cars must use the correct child restraint until they are either 135 cm in height or the age of 12  - which ever they reach first. So all children under 12 or under 135cm, must use a car seat or booster seat. After this they must use an adult seat belt. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that children under the age of 14 years are restrained correctly in accordance with the law.

Children up to three years old must use the correct child seat. It is illegal to carry a child in a rear-facing child seat in the front, which is protected by an active front airbag. In the back, again a baby or toddler under three years old must use a relevant car seat. The only exception to this is in a licensed taxi if there is no seat available, the child can travel in the back without one - but it's not a good idea.

The exception for children between three and 12 (who are under 135cm) are on a short, necessary journey where there isno appropriate car seat, in a lincensed cab, or if there are already two car seats being used in the back of the car and a third one simply will not fit. All car seats used must conform to ECE Regulation 44-03 or 44.04.

Child restraints are divided into categories, according to the weight of the children for whom they are suitable. These correspond broadly to different age groups, but parents should choose the seat based on how much the child weighs, not the age of the child. Here are the most usual sizes you'll find:

Groups 0 or 0+                        birth to 9/13kg,  0 to about 9/12-15m

Group 1                                   9 to 18kg, about 9m to 4 yrs

Group 1,2,3                             9 - 36kg, about 9m - 11 yrs

Group 2,3                                15 to 36kg, about 4 to 11 years

The increasing popularity of car seats that span more than one ‘group' is mostly due to the large cost savings this brings about over a number of years.