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Kerry parents are urged to get their seats checked.
PARENTS in Tralee are being encouraged to get their child’s car seat checked for free next month as part of a new safety campaign called ‘Check It Fits’ from the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
The campaign will be visiting various locations around Kerry between July 7 and July 10 where experts will be on hand to ensure that all of your child’s car seats and restraints are correctly fitted.
It comes to Tralee on Thursday, July 9 at the Garvey’s Supervalu Car park between 10am to 5.30pm. It will also visit Kenmare, Listowel and Killarney (click here for dates).
This comes about after research conducted by the organisation found that as many as 4 out of 5 child car seats are not fitted correctly.
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.
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.
For more information on the ‘Check it Fits’ campaign and for an up-to-date schedule of upcoming road shows (including dates in Kenmare, Listowel and Killarney), visit the RSA website here.
Check out the video down below for an example of the safety risks and checks that will be conducted at the test.
