Mum's shocking photo highlights the importance of putting children in their car seats correctly

One mum's horrifying photo has highlighted the importance of always strapping your children into their car seats safely.

All parents know the daily struggle of trying to get your kids into their car seats - whether it's the juggling act of trying to strap your little one in whilst also holding a million other things, or the diplomatic reasoning required along with endless patience while getting your toddler to sit quietly in their seat, facing the right way.

Mum-of-two Jenna Casado Rabberman knew what it was to have a child cry and complain about facing the rear or having to be clipped in firmly. But, despite her kids making a fuss, she always made sure they were buckled in correctly.

And, after a horrifying road accident that left her car crumpled, the mother-of-two has shared her story online in the hope that 'it will save a life by making someone think twice about buckling their child in.'

Taking to Facebook, the mum wrote: 'THIS is why you buckle your kids into their car seats correctly every SINGLE time. Even when they scream because the straps are tight. Even when they complain about the chest clip or being rear facing.'

She then went on to describe what happened to her: 'We stopped for milk on the way home from preschool yesterday. We were minutes from home. Someone sped through a red light and slammed into us. You never think it will happen to you.'

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10102408309959648&set=a.642519119688.2189200.31703248&type=3&theater

Luckily, she and her sons escaped from the horrifying incident unharmed. However, medics at the scenes informed Jenna that the outcome could have been much worse, had she not taken the time to ensure her children were strapped into their car seats properly before setting off.

'My boys escaped without a scratch but the paramedics told me it could have been very different had I not taken the extra 2 minutes to be sure they were buckled correctly,' she said.

Jenna went on to explain that her sons, aged three and just six weeks old, were strapped into rear facing car seats by Chicco and Graco. She is now trying to move on after the terrible accident, relieved that her children were spared in the horrific crash.

'I will be fine, my kids are fine, everything else can be replaced,' she wrote.

For car seat safety in the UK, the law currently states that a child must normally use a car seat until they're 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first.

On gov.uk it states that car seats 'must be rear-facing until your child is over 15 months old. Your child can use a forward-facing child car seat when they're over 15 months old'.