Parents are being urged to have their child’s car seat checked as research from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) indicates that as many as 4 out of 5 child car seats are incorrectly fitted.
The RSA ‘Check it Fits’ service is currently visiting Cork in October, where child car seat installation experts will be available to ensure car seats and restraints are correctly fitted. The service takes between 10-15 minutes, is free of charge and offers parents and guardians reassurance that their child is safe while travelling in the car.
Since Check it Fits began in October 2013, the RSA service has checked over 18,000 child car seats and restraints across Ireland. Of these, 82% required some adjustment. Worryingly, 75% of seats required a major adjustment, of which 4% were deemed not fit for purpose and condemned, meaning they have the potential to cause injury or even death in the event of a collision.
If your child’s car seat or restraint is incorrectly fitted, the ‘Check it Fits’ experts will advise on how to fix the problem, demonstrate how to fit the restraint correctly and answer any queries participants might have to avoid potential serious or fatal injury in the event of a collision.
Coming into the colder months clothing can affect how the harness fits so you may need to check and adjust the harness as the seasons change. As the weather cools we recommend you use a blanket over the harness to keep your child warm.
LOCAL ROAD SHOWS
Upcoming road shows in the area include SuperValu Glanmire on Wednesday, October 19th from 10am-5.30pm, while on Thursday, October 20th Riordan’s SuperValu Fermoy will host an event from 10am til 5.30pm.
For more information, visit http://www.rsa.ie/checkitfits
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