Campaigner honoured with MBE after being praised for contributing to reduction in child car casualties

A Northampton-based campaigner has been honoured with an MBE, after she was praised for her contribution to reducing child car casualties.

62-year-old Janis Lindy James MBE, who recently moved to the town, is the founder of the Good Egg Child Safety Campaign and received the Honour for her services to children’s road safety.

The campaign was launched in 2001 after Janis read an article about the incorrect fitment of car seats for children.

Having been moved by the loss of life as a result of this issue – as a mother of three herself – she identified the gap and took it upon herself to become educated to minimise it.

It was 14 years on from the start of her campaign work that Janis set up her own Community Interest Company (CIC), which is now run across the UK and is known globally.

Janis has been recognised by the government for the contribution she and her campaign has made, and has won multiple Prince Michael Road Safety Awards for child seat safety.

The 62-year-old heads and funds this first, and only, child seat safety industry group – which brings together retailers, manufacturers, and fellow road safety campaigners.

Her important work has reached far and wide as a national child car seat safety training programme has been launched for retail, industry and health professionals.

The campaign’s videos have reached more than five million social media users and since 2002, more than a million printed guides have been given to families.

Seven self-help guides for family safety are available free of charge online to many council authorities in the UK, allowing access to this vital information.

Not only is Janis passionate about child safety, but she campaigns for a number of other important issues – namely domestic violence, medicine waste, antibiotic use and parental alienation.

When asked how it feels to have received an Honour, Janis said: “It feels brilliant and validates all the amazing partners I’ve worked with. My team, industry working groups and clients – it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for each and every one of them.

“It gives prevalence to what I have dedicated 23 years to, and it’s great to be able to get those issues recognised.”

As a social marketer, Janis is pleased to be able to choose the issues she tackles and feels particularly passionate about. These typically come from personal experiences or observations.

It was a newspaper report that kickstarted The Good Egg Child Safety Campaign in 2001, when Janis read that 86 percent of car seats were bought new from retailers and yet 80 percent of them were not fitted correctly.

“I wondered how it was possible to buy a brand new car seat that’s not fit for purpose,” she told the Chronicle & Echo. “I’m a mum of three, a granny of three and I love kids.

“They rely on us as adults to protect them, it’s a moral responsibility. That’s what set me on my journey.”

Between 2013 and 2022, Janis shared that almost 40,000 children were injured in cars and 3,300 of those were either seriously injured or killed.

She added: “It’s about their families too. There are far too many deaths. The challenge is it’s not on people’s radar.

“We see things in films and on our televisions and people assume it’s safe, but it puts children at extreme risk. We want to raise awareness. I never judge because I was that mother 23 years ago.”

Janis shared that she once owned an American car seat for one of her children, which did not fit the car she owned.

“I’ve never forgotten that,” she said. “And that’s why I never judge. I want parents to understand it just takes one moment. You could be the best driver and have the safest car, but it could be someone else on the road that causes a lifetime of regret.”

Janis has spent the last 23 years trying to help parents and families recognise when things are not right – such as when a harness is too loose, the headrest is too high, or the seat does not correctly fit into the car.

170 workers across a variety of professions have received Good Egg training and they have seen “results across the board” that will help save lives.

Janis first set up her social marketing agency Dynamic in 2001 and Good Egg was one of the first programmes they ran.

“People told us it was the least lucrative,” said Janis. “But I don’t work for money, I work for a cause. It was in 2015 when I decided to move Good Egg out of Dynamic and into its own non-profit community interest space.”

When asked how it feels that the campaign is having a positive impact on the real world, Janis added: “It validates the purpose of life. We all have a purpose but some people don’t realise it. I felt like I had a purpose and was going to be a social worker but then I veered into social marketing.

“I’m privileged to have been able to set up my own company and work with people who share my passion to deliver.

“There are many more people we need to speak to, including those who are the first touch points for new parents.

“We need to revolutionise casualty stats and the MBE just helps to give us a platform. The hard work starts now.”

Janis wanted to let the public sector know Good Egg has new training dates booked in over the coming months. If anyone is located in a high child occupant casualty area, the training will be free.

For more information on the upcoming training days, visit this website.