Sir Alex signs up for child safety campaign

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is lending his support to a child car seat safety campaign today.

Sir Alex urges parents and children to use and fix their seatbelts properly after his 10-year-old grandson Charlie was badly injured in a car crash last month.

The AA campaign, part of Child Safety Week, aims to raise parents’ awareness of the importance of having the right car seat securely fitted, and the right seat for a child’s age and height.

Sir Alex said: "I urge all parents and children to pay attention to using and fixing their seatbelts properly, over the shoulder as it should be."

The AA said this was all the more important as research showed that the economic downturn meant 50% more people will holiday in the UK this summer.

It added that with two-thirds of child seats in the UK not fitted securely, the summer holiday ‘could be an accident waiting to happen’.

Edmund King, AA president, said: "Sir Alex is absolutely right that it is imperative for all children to be properly belted up in the back.

"An AA/Populus poll of 16,500 respondents showed that 83% are not aware of legislation requiring children to use the appropriate restraint or child seat.

"Modern seatbelts are not uncomfortable, so parents or drivers need to ensure that children are appropriately belted up. It can be a matter of life or death."

Click here to read the full Sky News report.