The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is bringing its face-to-face child car seat checking service - Check it Fits - to Monaghan on the 11th and 12th of November next.
Over half of child car seats, 56%, checked by the service were incorrectly fitted and needed some type of adjustment to make them a safe fit; and almost a third of seats fitted incorrectly needed major adjustments.
The organisation says 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. Aisling Sloyan from the RSA spoke to Northern Sound earlier. She says that 30% of child care seats need a major adjustment to fix them while 67% are minor adjustments.
“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. 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 service when it comes to County Monaghan and give yourself the peace of mind that your children are travelling safely," she added.
Meanwhile, the service will be at Fleming’s Toymaster on Church Square in Monaghan on Friday, the 11th of November from 10am to 5:30pm and at Upper Commons Car Park in Castleblayney on Saturday, the 12th of November from 10am to 5:30pm.
