Are backseat DVD players a car crash risk?

All parents familiar with undertaking long car journeys with their little ones in tow will be familiar with the refrain "are we there yet?". It is certainly not uncommon for such parents to enact painstaking measures in order to safeguard their sanity and avoid a distraction-caused car crash. Songs, stories and driving games like I Spy are all typical long-tried methods of keeping things calm on the backseat. However, one recent phenomenon of backseat pacification has raised concern in some quarters of the road safety fraternity.

The use of backseat DVD players is growing among road-weary parents hoping to keep their offspring happy and stimulated while on the roads. Strapped to the rear of the front seat and available at around £200, they allow children to watch their favourite films and television shows while travelling in the comfort of the family vehicle. And while it can be argued that they might help prevent car crashes by pre-empting backseat tantrums, German road safety organisation DEKRA believe that they have the potential to increase the severity of personal injury.

DEKRA carried out a series of simulated collisions designed to test the safety of these DVD systems when under impact. The results were worrying. It was found that even when these systems were installed according to the manufacturer's instructions, in collisions at speeds of just 18 mph, the DVD players were liable to fly off at forces strong enough to cause fatal injury to backseat passengers.

A spokesperson for DEKRA commented, "The possible consequences of an accident like this are very serious injuries."

Motoring magazine AutoExpress recently carried a story detailing the results of the German study. A spokesperson from the magazine warns that it is not only backseat DVD players that pose a road accident risk: "Must-have gadgets including mobile phones, satnavs and in-car DVD players can be lethal."

"In the crash test, the Velcro fastening was torn from the bag and the player hit the dummy's head. This happened even though the bag was correctly fitted and the strap had been checked by technicians before the test.

"Alarmingly, this accident happened at only 18 mph."

YouClaim's road safety spokesperson, Mike Page, offers parents the following advice, "While in-car DVD entertainment systems might seem like a good idea, they can pose a hazard in several ways.

"Not only are there concerns about how secure they remain under accident conditions, they may also distract the driver, negating the very reasons for which they were installed in the first place.

"Where there is a bat's squeak of risk, the safety-first principle should always have primacy, never more so than when children are involved."

YouClaim's road accident solicitors
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