Child seat laws being flouted

One in six drivers is breaking child car seat laws, putting millions of youngsters at risk of injury or death, according to a new survey.

According to the poll by the LV insurance company, up to 1.8 million motorists are driving with their children not safely secured in their cars.

More than 20% of those who fail to comply with the law do not even know the regulations. Since September 2006, all children aged 11 or under must travel in the correct car seat or booster cushion for their age and weight.

Road safety bosses say the current 30 fine for breaking the law is inadequate and have called for drivers who fail to comply to receive points on their licence.

The LV survey of 2104 adults also found that 10% of drivers who were aware of the law disregarded it.

Department for Transport figures show that child passenger death and injuries fell after the law was introduced, from 7033 injured and 326 dead or seriously hurt in 2005, to 5927 and 271 last year.