I just supplied a bag of 20 of these safety blanks to somebody with a 1-year-old baby.

[Linked Image from tlc-direct.co.uk]

I started thinking though: BS1363 outlets are already shuttered. Older types require a pin or other object to be inserted into the earth contact and pressed down before the shutters on the line and neutral will open. Many newer types require equal pressure on the line and neutral shutters. (And there is now a new design on the market which requires simultaneously pressure at all three points to open.)

So with the shutters already found on all BS1363 sockets, just how much extra safety to these blanks really provide?

Do you think they actually make a big difference, or do they really just act more as a comfort device to parents?