Child seat and seatbelt safety highlighted

Casualty Reduction Community Liaison Officer Jacqui Hogg fits a child’s car seat in Milkstone, supported by colleagues and officers from Greater Manchester Police

A combination of education and enforcement has been used to encourage drivers in Milkstone and Deeplish to wear seat belts and correctly use child seats for their youngsters as part of a campaign to reduce road casualties in the borough.

Greater Manchester Police officers and community support officers stopped drivers to check that occupants were wearing seatbelts and that child seats were fitted and used correctly.

During two days of action, officers stopped 129 drivers, issuing fines and on-the-spot education, which was provided by Rochdale Borough Council’s highways casualty reduction officers.

 Casualty Reduction Community Liaison Officer Jacqui Hogg, who took part in the initiative, said: “It is the law that everyone in a car must wear a seatbelt, where fitted.

“When children are being carried, the correct child restraint based on the age, weight and height of the child must be used. Parents should check when they buy a child seat that it fits their car properly.”

“Once a child reaches 12 years old or 135cms in height, whichever comes first, they must wear an adult seat belt, if fitted, in the vehicle they are travelling in.”