A MOTHER caught by police in the Mearns driving at high speed with a three-year-old in the front seat of her car is typical of an apparent disregard of motorists for the safety of their children, according to traffic patrol officers.

Grampian Police have stopped seven drivers in the last four weeks either driving at high speed with children as passengers or carrying them unrestrained in their vehicle.

The mother with her three-year-old beside her was stopped travelling at 89 mph in a 70 mph area on the A90.

Another driver was stopped for having faulty brake lights and officers discovered that the two adults in the back of the car were unrestrained. One was holding a baby.

A man was stopped travelling at 101 mph in a 70 mph area on the A90, with three children in the car—a nine-year-old and two two-year-olds, while another driver stopped in the same area travelling at 91 mph had two children aged 15 and 14 in the car.

A father stopped for dangerous overtaking had his wife and two children aged 14 and six months in the vehicle.

A driver of a two-seater sports car was stopped and charged on the A96 after he was seen with a two-year-old on a booster seat beside him.

On Tuesday this week on the A96 a 36-year-old woman lost control of her car, which left the road and overturned resulting in her passenger, a four-year-old boy, being injured.

“It is very dangerous to drive at high speed on any public road or to carry children unrestrained in your vehicle,” said road safety manager Leslie Harrold.

“Children are generally safer when they are travelling in the back seat of a car provided they are properly restrained.

“Research shows that children who are properly restrained are 90% less likely to be injured in a road collision. It is as simple as that.”