It is over a year since the government's Department for Transport issued new child car seat regulations which are very specific in their guidelines for parents when setting up their child in the seat of a car. Perhaps the most important of these is the type of child seat that you have installed in the car and the correct use of the seatbelt with the seat. These can be found at www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/childcarseats/childcarseats.htm. The advice covers areas such as the correct position of seats, age and height of child and how it affects the type of belt and seat used.

Along with the guidelines described above, when it comes to ensuring that your child is as safe as possible when in a car, there are a few points that should be looked at as a priority.

It is important to keep children entertained on car journeys no matter how hard this can prove to be at times! Apart from ensuring that the children are happy and well occupied, it also does away with the potential danger that comes about if kids are screaming and generally distracting the driver. Word and spotting games can be used with children of all ages, music and story books are also an easy way of allowing yourself a few moments of peace as the children are occupied with what that are listening to.

You should never leave kids alone in cars with the keys in the ignition or running in case they manage to accidentally put the car in gear or trap themselves in the electric windows. Similarly, all luggage in the car should be safely stowed away in case it becomes loose during the journey and poses a threat if the car stops suddenly.

A little preparation and knowledge about general car safety will go a long way when it comes to ensuring a child's safety in a car. However, the famous nagging line of ‛are we there yet?' is something that you may never be totally free from!