It will probably be no surprise to many people in Bradford that a survey in neighbouring Kirklees has revealed that half of the child passengers in the district are not restrained by seat belts or secured in car seats. Anyone who studies passing cars will know that it is a similar story in and around this city.

There are too many youngsters sitting on an adult's lap in the front seat or standing up in the rear of the car between the front seats. To allow that to happen is to put the child itself at terrible risk of serious injury or death if there is an accident. It is also dangerous for those sitting in the front seats, too. Each year in the UK up to 15 front-seat passengers are killed by the impact from an unbelted rear-seat passenger being thrown forward with a force of up to 60 times their own bodyweight even at a mere 30mph.

If people believe that it is fine to leave a child unbelted because they are only going on a short local journey, they are badly mistaken. Most accidents in fact occur on short journeys in busy urban areas.

It is a criminal offence not to wear a seat belt, yet plenty of people ignore the law, with 200,000 fixed penalties being issued across the country in a year. It is also criminally irresponsible not to ensure that a child wears a seat-belt or is safe in a car seat on every journey, however short.