SOME police forces are choosing not to fine drivers who break new child car seat regulations - to the dismay of road safety groups.
North Yorkshire Police and Greater Manchester Police are among forces who have not issued fixed penalties to offenders.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said the regulations were "a matter of life and death" and police should enforce the new rules.
Introduced last September, the new regulations compel children under 13 and less than 4ft 5ins tall to use booster seats.
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said today: "We have not issued fixed penalty notices in relation to booster seats but we have cracked down on anyone incorrectly restrained in cars."
Superintendent Alan Greene, of Greater Manchester Police's road policing unit, said: "The law is extremely difficult to enforce. Where a parent has made a genuine attempt to restrain their child but there is no booster seat then we would advise the driver that this is what is needed.
"Our main concern is that people in cars wear seatbelts - and if they don't they will be prosecuted. This is a less pressing concern that we offer advice to motorists on."
RoSPA's head of road safety Kevin Clinton said: "Laws which are not enforced are not obeyed.
"Education is an important part of enforcement but ultimately the police need to take action and use their enforcement powers."
Are police right not to fine parents for not having the right car seats fitted? Have your say.
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i think as long as the police are satisfied that the child is safe then no i dont think they should be fined my 8 yr old hates her booster seat because it makes her feel and look silly at 4ft 1ins i would stop using it if i thought i wouldnt be fined.
i feel that as long as the parent/driver is belting there children up properly then no fines should be handed out.... as since the law change on booster seats shops have put up the prices to gain from this making it harder for familys with more children if people want to enforce this booster seat rule make the sellers make the boosters fair priced for all and parents will more likley follow the rules
Just another law that the police cannot enforce because of lack of police officers? Why keep making yet more laws when we have so many uninsured drivers running around our streets and roads let the police track these down before loading yet even more laws on them?
The law is a badly thought out one. Do the police measure the height of a child, in their shoes & socks, or do they make them strip off by the side of the road? Also do the Police carry a proper device to conduct the measurement, and will the device be Home office certified? This law was a typical kneejerk reaction to pressure groups lik Brake.
This law although difficult to enforce, is well intended. It is estimated that 2000 injuries to children will be prevented each year. Being difficult to enforce should not mean that it shouldn't be legislation. Using the appropriate seat has been advisory for many years-it offered sensible advice and guidance to keep children safe in vehicles. Yet police could not prosecute or fine anyone for not heeding the advice. This new law now means that they can. But there is nothing new about the principles behind the legislation. Everyone should have been following this advice for years anyway. And certainly the caring and conscienious parents have been. Nichola-please think about the safety element rather than the finacial. Adult belts are not designed for children- if they are not raised up to an adult height, they are in danger of 'submarining' under the lap part of the belt which will cause injury or complete failure of the belt.
Ace Riley is right. The fixation on exceeding speed limits as a road safety policy has allowed most of the qualified trafpol to be replaced by cameras. There are now so few police on the roads that offences like child restraint and mobile phone use are going larely unpunished. It is time to focus on the real causes of road accidents & injuries.