I wonder if police will be monitoring schools today to boost their coffers 
by booking law-breaking parents. I wonder how many hours of paper work this will involve.
I would far rather they spent their time nabbing motorists, particularly lorry drivers, who still drive with a mobile phone pressed between their ear and shoulder as they swing around a roundabout.
I am appalled by the ignorance surrounding this new law, in force from today, which states children up to age of 12 must use booster seats in cars. It is aimed at saving 2,000 children being killed or injured on our roads each year.
Stephen Ladyman knew about this at least several months ago, but his department did not get the message across. Where was his awareness campaign? Where were the posters and advertising? Why weren’t parents distributed leaflets via schools? We know the Government has plenty of press officers at hand, this is the kind of work they should be doing.
Parents could face a £30 on the spot fine for failing to comply. Stores could sell out as a result of being uninformed and the chances are there won’t be enough booster seats to meet demand. I suggest if parents are fined, they pass on the bill to Ladyman and his department who failed to do their job.
I remember launching a campaign for the CoI (the Government’s press office) in the Eastern Region when it became compulsory for passengers to wear seat belts in the back of cars. The same should have happened with this new law.
Btw, my sympathies go out to parents who have to enforce this on their kids. Mine couldn’t wait to be free of their car restraints, they will have a tough job on their hands.
The problems start today – how can I get my little girl and her palls back from Rainbows tonight with my son in the back also whilst my wife does an extra days work ? There will have to me more cars, and more risk when parents pick up our kids ?
This law will be widely ignored – just as those using mobiles whilst driving and cycling on the pavement ignore the law every day.
Whats at stake here is not just parents being harassed, and we are, but erosion of respect for the law.
Thats serrious as the law protects us all in so many ways and preserves our freedom. By the failure of police to clear up crimes and petty laws like this we are lossing that protection.
( Don’t get me wrong I have boaster seats for both my kids – but why not a public information campaign instead and no law ? Oh I forgot the EU has told us to do this and we have no rights in that respect. )
Given all the money the Government have spent on advertising I can’t imagine why they haven’t publicised this more widely.
Man in a Shed, you raise an excellent point, is it possible to fit 3 booster seats in the back of a medium sized car? Families won’t want to change cars because of this new legislation, they are told not to buy the gas-guzzling beasts we see on the road for environemntal reasons, yet they may not be able to physically fit 3 kids on the back seat any longer, what are they to do? Has Stephen Ladyman considered this?