Cambridgeshire’s road safety team says that exactly half (50%) of the child car seats it has checked in the past 12 months were incorrectly fitted, though the majority (31%) had ‘minor faults’.
Working in partnership with Good Egg Safety, the team has conducted 16 car seat clinics in the past year. Of the 242 seats checked, 50% were fitted incorrectly: 19 (8%) were incompatible to the vehicle or child, 26 (11%) had major faults, and 75 (31%) had minor faults.
At the clinics parents and carers can have their child car seat checked by an expert for free, and ask questions relating to child car seat safety. The check takes less than 10 minutes.
Matt Staton, lead road safety officer for Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “In speaking to parents it is evident that a lack of awareness is a big problem, with many not realising that car seats do not necessarily fit all cars, or not understanding how tightly the seat or harness should be fitted. This shows why a programme of checks is so important.
“The aim of this campaign is two-fold: to correct any fitting errors and ensure parents are able to check and re-fit the seat themselves, and to arm parents with information about child car seats which they can use in purchasing new seats and pass on to friends and family.”
Emma Norton, Good Egg Safety, said “As a trained car seat expert it shouldn’t really shock me, but it makes me very happy to help parents get it right. The majority of children checked have the two most common problems which are usually very easy to rectify, a loose fitted restraint and loose fitting harness can cause a child horrendous injuries.
The Good Egg In-Car Safety clinics are being held in several areas across the country – click here to see where and when they are taking place.
Contact Matt Staton on 01223 699652 for more information.
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