MILLIONS OF PARENTS UNAWARE OF CAR SEAT DANGERS

 

·         Nearly 10 million parents have left newborn babies sleeping in car seats when not driving, despite this going against medical advice

·         22 million parents have driven with newborn babies for long periods of time – collectively travelling one million more miles than recommended

·         There are vast generational differences in awareness of car seat safety – younger parents are much more aware of potential risks

New research¹ from Churchill Car Insurance reveals parents are unknowingly risking health difficulties with newborn babies by leaving them in car seats for longer than they should. Nearly 10 million parents (29 per cent) have left their babies sleeping in car seats rather than putting them in a cot, despite an association between using car seats as sleep aids and sudden infant death syndrome².

Advice on driving with babies has changed in recent years. A 2016 study funded by the Lullaby Trust³ found newborn babies sat at a 40˚ angle in a car seat for as little as 30 minutes can experience increased heart and breathing rates and lower blood oxygen level due to their ‘scrunched up’ position.

While driving with babies in the car is often essential, parents are potentially exposing their newborns to health problems by keeping them in car seats for longer than is recommended.  Over two thirds of all parents, some 22.6 million parents, have driven with their baby in a car for more than 30 minutes. Of this number, more than three quarters (17.7 million people) did so once a month or more and 9.7 million (43 per cent) did so once a week or more. This equates to over one million more miles driven by new parents than is recommended, the same distance as 607,000 return trips from Lands’ End to John O’Groats⁴.

Professor Peter Fleming, University of Bristol, part of the team which conducted the research funded by the Lullaby Trust, said: Although it is very important for parents to always use an appropriate car seat for young babies on car journeys, the baby should always be taken out of the seat and placed in a suitable sleeping place such as a cot or Moses basket after the journey. Car seats are not designed for longer periods of infant sleep.  In the first 4-6 weeks after birth parents should try to avoid car journeys of more than 30 minutes for their baby, and whenever possible an adult should travel with the baby in the back seat of the car to keep a check on their position and well-being. If longer journeys are unavoidable, please take regular breaks in which the baby is taken out of the car seat as much as possible”.

The awareness of this changing advice regarding driving with newborns varies substantially between generations, with younger parents significantly more aware of the dangers of using car seats for anything other than transport than older parents. Two thirds (66 per cent) of parents aged 18-34 know that they should not put their baby to sleep in a car seat, more than double the percentage of those who are now aged 55+ (23 per cent) and higher than those aged 35-54(41 per cent). Younger parents are also more aware that they should not leave their baby sleeping in a car seat after a journey than parents who are now aged 55+ (63 per cent vs 32 per cent).

Younger parents are also much more aware of the potential risks of driving long distances. Three fifths (59 per cent) of parents aged 18-34 know that long periods of time in a car seat may lead to health problems like breathing difficulties, while under two fifths of parents aged 35-54 are aware of this (39 per cent).

Table one: Awareness of advice regarding driving with a newborn baby by parents of different generations

Source: Churchill Car Insurance 2019

Despite being more aware of the safety advice, younger parents are more likely to have taken their children out for journeys of more than 30 minutes than parents from previous generations. Over three quarters (77 per cent) of parents currently aged 18-34 go on a 30 minute or longer drive every month, compared to just 59 per cent of those who are aged 55+.

Alex Borgnis, head of Car Insurance at Churchill, said: “We understand that new parents face numerous challenges and have to make many decisions about what is best for their baby. Driving with newborns is usually unavoidable and parents shouldn’t be worried every time they need to do so, after all, the safest way for a baby to travel in a car, is in a car seat and it is also required by law. There are some simple steps parents can take to help reduce any potential risk. Avoid driving for long distances with a newborn baby as much as you can and if you need to, remember to stop regularly and, if possible, have an adult in the back of the car to keep an eye on your baby and check it isn’t slumping forward. It is also important to remember not to use car seats as sleeping aids, however tempting it may be to leave a baby sleeping.”

Tips for driving with babies:

·         Make sure you have a car seat which is designed for your baby’s age and weight and is fastened properly in the car

·         If you need to travel long distances, take at least a 15-minute break for every two hours driving

·         Where possible, have an adult sit in the back of the car with the baby for longer journeys

·         Try not to travel for longer than 30 minutes with a newborn baby, but if it is necessary, take regular breaks and take the baby out of the car seat when you stop driving

·         If the baby changes its position and slumps forward, then stop the journey and take the baby out of the car seat for a period of time

·         Do not leave a baby sleeping in their car seat after a journey

·         Do not use a car seat for anything other than transport – they should not be used as sleeping aids

                                                                        ENDS

Notes to Editor

¹        Research conducted by Opinium among a panel of 2,000 UK adults, of which 64% (1,283 respondents) were parents

²          https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24435952

³          https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/our-statement-regarding-todays-article-on-car-seats/

⁴          Calculated based on people travelling at the national speed limit (60mph)

⁵     Based on the average age of becoming a mother in the UK – 28.6 years

For further information please contact:

Emma Cava 
PR Manager (Motor)
Direct Line Group

Tel: 01651 831 715
Email: [email protected]

Alannah Sims

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

[email protected]

0207 025 6563

Churchill

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