BMJ  2007;334:110 (20 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39094.386215.1F

Letters

Child safety in cars

Seats must be secured when children are not using them

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

We are concerned that the European compliant law of 18 September 2006 regarding safety regulations for children over 3 years of age¹ may contribute towards increased numbers of injuries and fatalities from unsecured car safety seats acting as potential projectiles when the child is not in the car. Unsecured projectiles in cars can be lethal in the event of a crash, typically increasing the weight of the item by 20 times.² This concern led to the development of legislation in Holland, enforcing that all heavy objects in a vehicle be secured.³

Unfortunately, this issue was not factored into the risk assessment when the legislation was made. Currently, statistics of in-car injuries from unsecured projectiles in the UK are not collected. We suggest an urgent risk assessment to ensure that the new law does not cause overall more death and injury than it is designed to prevent.

¹ Lister Hospital, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG3 6ST, ² J W Compliance, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9QJ

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Competing interests: None declared.

1. Hayes M. Child safety in cars. BMJ 2006;333:1183-4. (9 December.)[Free Full Text]
2. Lethal weapons. 1 January 2007. www.openroad.com.au/motoring_roadsafety_lethalweapons.asp
3. Peijs wil verbod op losse spullen in de auto. 19 July 0005. www.elsevier.nl/nieuws/politiek/artikel/asp/artnr/55362/versie/1/index.html

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Child safety in cars

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