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The Check It Fits campaign is coming to Tralee.
PARENTS in Tralee and other parts of the county are being urged to have their child’s car seat checked in town next week as research from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) indicates that as many as 4 out of 5 child car seats are incorrectly fitted.
The RSA ‘Check it Fits’ service will be visiting Tralee on February 25 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.
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The team will visit Garveys Supervalu carpark from 10am to 5:30pm to check your child car seat for free.
They will also be in Super Valu, Railway Road, Kenmare, on Monday, February 22 from 10am to 5.30pm.
On Wednesday, February 24 they will be at Super Valu, Convent St, Listowel, from 10am to 5:30pm to check your child car seat for free.
Since ‘Check it Fits’ began in October 2013, the RSA service has checked over 8,000 child car seats and restraints across Ireland. Of these, 82% required some adjustment. Worryingly, 75% of seats required a major adjustment, of which 4% were deemed not fit for purpose and condemned, meaning they have the potential to cause injury or even death in the event of a collision.
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 “Almost 2 out of 5 children killed are passengers and Garda reports into collisions indicate that 1 in 10 children were not wearing a seatbelt or using a child restraint in 2014. More recent statistics have shown an increase in child passenger fatalities on the road. 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.”
For more information on Check it Fits and for an up-to-date schedule of upcoming road shows, visithttp://www.rsa.ie/checkitfits
Watch the RSA video below about child safety in vehicles…
Introduction Child Safety in Cars from Road Safety Authority on Vimeo.
