According to a new report by the Road Safety Authority, four out of five child car seats are fitted incorrectly.

 

The RSA says that 80 percent of child seats need to be readjusted properly. Unfitted child seats can cause a major impact if in a road accident. Since 2013, over 25,000 child seats have been inspected.

 

As part of a new campaign, inspectors throughout the country are aiming to check 10,000 child seats. Around 4,600 parents have already checked their seats.

 

Aisling Leonard, the RSA’S Senior Promotion Officer, said that Supervalu outlets and Toyota Garages are welcoming people into their establishments to get their seats checked. You don’t necessarily have to be a Toyota driver or Supervalu customer to avail of their offer. 

 

According to the RSA website, road experts will fix any incorrectly fitted seats and restraints, show parents how to do it themselves and answer any queries they have. It takes just a few minutes, no appointment is necessary and it is open to all makes and models of cars and child car seats. 

 

"While we are seeing more people pay more attention to fitting car seats, there is an element of: if it looks OK, it is OK. These seats need to be adjusted, and people really should be checking them every month," Ms Leonard told RTÉ.  

 

 

 

"A slacking factor comes in, and adjustment is needed, especially as a child gets older. Some people think it is fine to leave a car seat the way it was fitted for five years. That is not the case. Others are nervous that if a seat was fitted by an expert, it is not a good idea to try to adjust it."

 

In 2014, 14 children under the age of 15 were killed on the roads - that’s 36.7 percent of all infant deaths in Ireland.

 

Although AA Ireland has come across many cars with top-of-the-range car seats during their safety patrols, many of these have not been fitted correctly inside the vehicles. Not only is this unsafe for the child and the driver, but it's also against the law.

 

It is recommended that you weigh your child before you buy them a car seat.

 

AA patrol officer John Cummins says: “The law states that any child under 150 centimetres are around 11 must have a properly fitted child seat or booster seat.”  

 

To find out more about properly fitting in a child’s seat into your car, check out the RSA website

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