There are a ‘worrying’ number of children who don’t wear a seatbelt on their journey to school, says the County Council.
Observations made outside schools during drop off and pick up found that as many as 27% of children were not wearing a seatbelt.
Out of 796 children observed, 87 were found not to be wearing any form of restraint such as a booster seat or cushion.
children are the most precious cargo you can have in a car
Road safety officers looked at 530 cars in various locations carrying children in the front and back of cars.
Principal officer Zena Oliver, said: “It was worrying enough to see that, in some areas, over a quarter of children being taken to school by car were not wearing any form of restraint.”
Of those wearing seatbelts, many were not wearing them correctly, the survey says.
Nottinghamshire County Council say they saw children with seatbelts sitting across their necks, rather than their shoulders, and some were even facing backwards looking out of the window.
She added “[The figures were] made worse by the fact that even when they were using a seatbelt or a booster cushion they were not doing so properly – putting them at as much risk of injury in the event of an accident as those not secured at all.”
Any driver carrying a child under the age of 14, who is not wearing a seatbelt, could be subject to a fine of £500 and penalty points.
Passengers aged over 14 are responsible for their own safety.
Ms Oliver added: “Children are the most precious cargo that any parent will ever carry in their car.”
“It is well worth making sure that, for every trip, they are properly and safely secured using an age and siex-appropriate restraint.”
Road safety staff will now be offering free advice over the summer on car seats, for more information visit the Council’s road safety website.
