Free child car seat check

Clare parents are being advised they can have their child’s car seat checked free of charge, as research from the Road Safety Authority shows that as many as four out of five child car seats are incorrectly fitted nationwide.

Since October 2013, the RSA’s Check it Fits Service has checked over 4,000 child car seats and restraints in Ireland. Of these, 83% required some adjustment. Worryingly, 79% of seats required a major adjustment of which 3% were deemed not fit for purpose and condemned, meaning they could have caused injury or even death in the event of a collision.

To highlight the issue of child safety in cars in Clare, the Check it Fits’ team will check child car seats and restraints to ensure they are correctly fitted in the following locations:
Queally SuperValu, Francis Street, Kilrush on Friday, November 7 from 10am to 5.30pm; Queally SuperValu, Convent Hill, Killaloe next day and Lynchs Centra, Gort Road, Ennis on Tuesday, November from 10am to 5.30pm.

Commenting on the upcoming visits to Clare, RSA chairman, Gay Byrne, said, “I don’t think any parent would willingly put their child’s safety at risk but I’m afraid that’s exactly what they are doing whenever they fail to secure a child properly in an appropriate child car seat. Our own experience suggests that finding the right car seat for your child, fitting it properly in the car and then strapping the child into that seat correctly is challenging, but there is help. The Check it Fits Service’offers parents and grandparents, like myself, the opportunity to have a child car seat checked by the experts. It’s a free service and will offer you peace of mind knowing that your child is strapped in properly.”