Is your child's car seat safe?

For many parents, fitting a child’s car seat correctly can be really difficult – and that’s once you have worked out which one to buy. The good news is that the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has a new, full-time, nationwide, free expert service to help parents, grandparents and guardians to choose the right child seat or restraint and fit it safely and securely in their cars. The service is called ‘Check it Fits’ and it will be visiting Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone on March 5, from 10am – 5.30pm

Currently, in Ireland, incorrectly fitted child car seats are a significant cause for concern, with as many as three out of four seats potentially fitted incorrectly. If a child car seat isn’t fitted correctly, it could lead to a serious or fatal injury in the event of a collision. The ‘Check it Fits’ Service will help parents and guardians to fit child car seats and restraints correctly, providing peace of mind that their children are safely restrained in the car.

 The RSA’s team of experts will check child car seats and restraints to see if they are correctly fitted at a designated area in the car parks of the locations listed above. If child car seats or restraints are incorrectly fitted, the experts will advise on how to fix the problem, demonstrate how to fit the restraint correctly and answer any queries participants might have. The checking process takes about 10-15 minutes and is free of charge.

For more information on Child Safety in Cars visit www.rsa.ie/childsafetyincars