HC Deb 23 July 1996 vol 282 cc152-3W
Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has given about the use of child seats in the front seats of cars where an airbag is fitted. [39252]

Mr. Norris

The Department's advice is that rear-facing child seats must not be fitted to front seats of cars where an air bag is fitted and this message is contained in the publicly available "Choosing Safety" booklet. Following agreement between the Department and manufacturers, all new vehicles fitted with passenger side airbags and sold in the UK since 1 January 1996 have been voluntarily fitted with a warning label. In addition, the owner's handbook has carried further explanation of the dangers. The Department is continuing discussions with the UK motor industry to ensure that the public are fully aware of the dangers.

Fatality rate per 100,000 population for children aged 0 to 14
1994 1993 1992 1991 1990
Pedestrian car passenger Pedestrian car passenger Pedestrian car passenger Pedestrian car passenger Pedestrian car passenger
Austria 1.3 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.3 2.7 1.6 2.2
Belgium 1.1 1.3 0.8 1.5 2.1 1.3 1.7 0.9 1.9 2.2
Denmark 0.7 1.2 0.9 0.5 0.9 0.8 1.9 1.6 1.4 1.7
Finland 0.9 1.6 0.7 1.2 1.7 1.0 0.4 2.2 1.1 1.4
France 1.0 1.8 0.9 2.0 1.2 2.0 1.4 2.1 1.5 2.2
Germany 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.8
Great Britain 1.3 0.7 1.4 0.7 1.6 0.5 2.0 0.6 2.2 0.8
Greece 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.5 1.3 2.2 1.5
Ireland 1.7 0.5 1.9 1.3 1.8 0.8 2.4 0.8 2.4 1.0
Italy 0.9 0.6 1.0
Luxembourg Netherlands 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.8 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8
Portugal 5.2 2.3 5.0 2.8 6.4 2.3 5.0 2.3
Spain 1.1 1.7 1.3 1.9 1.0 2.5 1.4 2.2 1.5 2.7
Sweden 0.8 0.9 0.4 0.9 0.9 1.0 0.5 1.2 0.9 1.1