Over half of child car seats are incorrectly fitted, the Road Safety Authority has warned.
The RSA today launched a new code of practice for retailers to assist customers.
Some 56% of child car seats checked by the RSA’s Check it Fits service were fitted the wrong way and needed some type of adjustment to make them a safe fit.
Failing to fit a child’s car seat correctly could lead to a serious or even fatal injury in the event of an accident.
Spokeswoman Aisling Sloyan said the 56% statistic is worrying, but the new Code of Practice will help to massively reduce it.
She said: “While the RSA’s experience with its Check it Fits service shows that half of child car seats are fitted incorrectly, worryingly, it found that 30% of these needed a major adjustment to fix them.
“For example, the seat being excessively loose so as to make the fitting almost ineffective. 67% were minor adjustments, for example, the fitting being loose or a twisted seatbelt.
“This new Code of Practice will help the public feel confident that they are getting the correct information they need from retailers when buying a child car seat. This includes help on deciding the correct seat for their child’s weight, height, and age. All child car seat retailers and manufacturers are welcome to participate in this Code.”
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Ms. Hildegarde Naughton, welcomed the initiative as it will help to reduce deaths and injuries from road accidents.
“I am delighted that this new Code of Practice has been launched and I want to applaud the manufacturers and retailers of child car seats that have adopted this new Code of Practice,” she said.
“It is through practical measures like this, where we all work together, and achieve our core target of the new Road Safety Strategy, which is to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030.”
As it stands 15 child car seat retailers have committed to the new Code of Practice, covering 40 stores nationwide. Three child car seat manufacturers are signed up, with interest from another three.
Customers should look out for the RSA’s Code of Practice stickers in retailer outlets or check out the list of participating retailers on rsa.ie.
