Brake has launched a new short, animated film to highlight the importance of using child car seats, to coincide with an event which the charity says involves 40,000 young children.
The film uses ‘simple and fun’ imagery to show why it’s important for children to sit in correctly sized and fitted restraints.
The law states that children should be seated in an appropriate restraint until they are 12-years-old or 135cm tall.
However, Brake uses the video to recommend that child seats are used until a child reaches a height of 150cm – as it is ‘widely regarded that adult seat belts do not provide enough protection to children below that height’.
The film is part of a suite of resources created by Brake for schools, nurseries, playgroups and childminders running a Beep Beep! Day.
The Beep Beep! Day project, now in its 15th year, aims to engage children aged two to seven years with road safety basics through fun activities, while raising awareness among parents and the wider community about protecting children when using the road.
Today (27 June), Brake estimates that more than 40,000 children are taking part in a Beep Beep! Day across the UK.
Dave Nichols, community engagement manager at Brake, said: “An adult seat belt is not designed to protect a child. Using a properly fitted child restraint that is appropriate for the child’s height reduces the risk of death and can help to prevent serious injuries.
“Beep Beep! Days are a great way to start talking to children about basic road safety messages, but they are also an ideal opportunity for us to get important messages home to grown-ups – and that includes using correctly fitted child seats.
“It’s fantastic that so many children are taking part in a Beep Beep! Day today and we hope educators will enjoy using our new resources to support this cause.”
Comment on this story