If you have a children, their safety comes first above all else.
That’s why a Road Safety Authority service which checks car seats is of interest to parents all over. They are in Laois this Monday and Tuesday to check car seats and restraints for free – as four out of five child car seats are incorrectly fitted.
On the service’s most recent visit to Laois in August and September 2016, 91 seats were checked.
They are in Supervalu in Portarlington from 10am to 5.30pm on Monday and in Des Hughes Toyota dealer on Tuesday from the same time.
Since October 2013, the RSA’s ‘Check it Fits’ Service has checked over 21,000 child car seats and restraints in Ireland. 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 help address this problem, the RSA ‘Check it Fits’ service are visiting venues in Laois, 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.
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.
Aisling Leonard, Senior Road Safety Promotion Officer for the RSA commented:
“The reality is that if a child’s car seat isn’t fitted correctly, it could lead to a serious or fatal injury in the event of a collision.
“Having a correctly fitted car seat is a simple measure parents, grandparents and guardians can take to ensure children are safe while travelling by car. I would encourage people to visit the ‘Check it Fits’ when it comes to Laois and give yourself the peace of mind that your children are travelling safely.”
Moyagh Murdock, CEO of the RSA, while speaking about the service said:
“The RSA ‘Check it Fits’ service is there to provide professional, trustworthy advice to parents and guardians around child car seat safety. Parents all over the country are availing of this service to get practical advice and expert fitting of their car seats. We would advise all parents to ensure that when they buy a new car seat, that they get the seat fitted by an expert.”
