A report in the Telegraph says that a new survey of 2,000 drivers suggests that ‘Baby on Board’ stickers have led to one in 20 motorists having a collision (Telegraph).
This apparently extraordinary claim has been challenged by Robert Gifford (PACTS) and Andrew Howard (AA).
The stickers are designed to alert the emergency services that a baby or small child is in the car in the event of a collision, and to encourage other drivers to be more careful around them. However, this survey suggests they can be a distraction and can obscure a driver’s vision through the rear window.
According to the poll, 46% of parents displayed the stickers irrespective of whether there was a child in the car; 15% said they had the stickers for their novelty value; while 46% regarded them as a hazard.
Andrew Howard, the AA’s head of road safety, said: “There are 150,000 injury accidents a year and about 10 times as many metal to metal crunches.
“According to the Government’s own figures, in car distraction is responsible for about 3%, with vehicle blind spots for another 2% on top of that.
“Motorists should, of course, put stickers in a windscreen where it doesn’t interfere with your view.”
Robert Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), said: “We have to be very careful not to draw too many conclusions from these self-reported figures – drivers will always try to find something else to blame than their own misjudgement. The key point to remember is that you are in charge of the car at all times and that your view should not be obscured.”
Click here to read the full Telegraph report.
Well said Mr Gifford. People are too quick to pass the buck and avoid taking responsibility and the legal and insurance systems we have allowed to develop do nothing to counter this. It’s time we stopped taking excuses from people for killing and injuring people on the roads and made every road user accountable for their actions.
Dave, Leeds
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