North-East parents are risking their children's lives every time they travel in a car. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports.

TODAY, children travel nearly everywhere by car, yet thousands of child passengers, from babies to teenagers, are killed or injured every year because they are not properly strapped in.

New statistics, published today by Mother and Baby magazine, reveal that 80 per cent of all car seats in Britain are fitted incorrectly. There is no legislation to ensure babies and children are properly buckled up and a quarter of parents admit their babies and young children don't always travel in a car seat.

In the North, 60 per cent of parents said they found it tricky to fit their child's car seat and only 51 per cent were sure it was right model for their car.

The research was carried out as part of Mother and Baby's Travel Safe Campaign, which includes a series of Car Seat Safety Roadshows at Halfords stores around the UK.

The campaign, backed by Halfords and car seat manufacturers Graco is calling for the Government to make law that all children from babyhood to 11 years old are properly restrained in vehicles.

Magazine editor Dani Zur says: "The current law for protecting children in cars is woefully inadequate. It's ludicrous that a baby or child can rattle around on the back seat of a car without any restraint whatsoever. There is no proper legislation to protect our children."

She adds: "Every year we have a new batch of parents to educate about the dangers of children in cars and we think its time the Government stopped paying lip service to our campaign and truly helped by buckling up the law regarding the safety of children in cars. The Government have even set up a website about child safety in cars but they haven't introduced any new legislation to back it up.

"The number of children killed in cars is going up not down - eleven under-fours were killed in 2000 and 18 in 2001."

Nine out of ten children killed in cars would survive if they were either in a properly fitted car seat of wearing a seatbelt that fitted.

In this region, 99 per cent of parents questioned said there should be legislation to ensure all children under four are in a properly fitted car seat.

Ninety-seven per cent said youngsters between four and 11 should sit on a booster cushion to make sure the adult seatbelt doesn't fall dangerously across their neck.

The research also found that a child crying in the car is as dangerous as a person speaking on a mobile phone. An overwhelming 94 per cent of parents said a child crying in the car distracts them. In the North, the figure was 91 per cent.

The survey also revealed that 58 per cent of mums said they wouldn't know what to do if they broke down on a motorway, while 70 per cent can't change a wheel and 59 per cent don't check the oil and water levels in their car.

Mother and Baby is launching its 2003 Car Seat Safety Roadshows on May 9. Using the slogan, Check the Fit Every Trip, fitting experts will offer parents free car seat checks.

Ms Zur says: "A badly fitted car seat is as useless as no car seat at all but as a mother of two, I know how difficult it can be to fit car seats. Our roadshows will show parents, grandparents and child carers how to fit their child car seats, check ones already fitted and advise parents on the right type of seat to fit for their car."

* The roadshow will be at Halfords at Team Valley Retail Park in Gateshead on Friday, June 6.