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11. 03. 10. - 14:00

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11. 03. 10. - 14:00

Forty per cent of kids are improperly secured in cars

Forty per cent of kids in Austria are either not secured or improperly secured in cars, according to car club ÖAMTC.

Club traffic psychologist Marion Seidenberger said today (Weds) the results of a survey of 1,500 kindergartens and primary schools throughout Austria had "exceeded our worst fears".

On average, 60 per cent of kids were properly secured, but the average masked provincial disparities, with only 47 per cent in Burgenland being well secured. In Styria that figure was 76 per cent.

The percentages for the other provinces showd Vienna, 48 per cent, Carinthia, 57 per cent, Tyrol, 61 per cent, Lower Austria, 65 per cent, Upper Austria and Salzburg, 66 per cent each, and Vorarlberg, 70 per cent.

In 23 per cent of cases, kids were secured only by a seat belt and in 17 per cent of cases by nothing at all.

In the worst cases, kids sat in the front seat with school rucksacks still on their backs or stood or knelt on the back seat.

Seidenbergerd also noted that many adults did not wear seat belts. "Our investigators saw things that were not only in violation of the law but would also make any responsible person shudder."

She said the results of this year’s survey showed that things had improved only marginally since the last such survey by the club in 2001.

Police have said that the fine for improper securing of a child ranges from 70 to 100 Euros and that a second offence had led to a parent’s mandatory attendance of a course on children’s security since September 2009.

The club has said that 80 per cent of those who must attend such courses in Austria are men and that percentage rises to 95 per cent in Vienna.

One problem is failure to secure children in cars, but another is use of faulty equipment.

For example, children’s car seat producer Maxi-Cosi announced earlier this week that it was recalling all of its FamilyFix car seats produced before 3 March 2010.

The firm said a mechanical problem in the seat made it impossible to guarantee maximum safety in case of a traffic accident. The firm said the problem had been discovered during a routine quality control operation.

It had affected only a small number of seats, and there had been no complaints by customers, Maxi-Cosi added.

Additional information is available at website www.maxi-cosi.de and over the free FamilyFix-Hotline (0800-601 162) from 8am to 10pm daily.

Austrian Times

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