Over half of child car seats fitted incorrectly according to Road Safety Authority

The Road Safety Authority’s 'Check it Fits' service has revealed that 56% of child car seats were incorrectly fitted and needed some type of adjustment to make them a safe fit.

The RSA has launched a new voluntary Code of Practice for Child Car Seat retailers to reduce misuse rates and raise awareness of car seat safety. The Code of Practice will ensure that best practice is achieved when parents buy a child restraint system.

Fifteen child car seat retailers have already committed to the new Code of Practice, covering 40 stores across the country. People are advised to look out for the RSA’s Code of Practice stickers in retailer outlets and can check the list of participating retailers on rsa.ie.

Ms Aisling Sloyan, Senior Road Safety Promotion Officer and Child Car Seat Expert with the RSA, said:

"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. This new Code of Practice will help the public feel confident that they are getting the correct information they need from retailers when buying a child car seat. This includes help on deciding the correct seat for their child’s weight, height, and age. All child car seat retailers and manufacturers are welcome to participate in this Code.”

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Ms. Hildegarde Naughton, said: “If a child’s car seat isn’t fitted correctly, it could lead to a serious injury in the event of a collision or worse. It is through practical measures like this, where we all work together, and achieve our core target of the new Road Safety Strategy, which is to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030.”

Mr Sam Waide, CEO of the Road Safety Authority, said: “The point of sale, where child car seats are bought and sold, is critical to driving down misuse rates of child car seats. I would appeal to retailers who haven’t signed up to the new Code of Practice to please do so.

"Parents get the reassurance that what they are buying will keep their child safe and for the retailer it’s a unique selling point for your business. Most importantly of all its going to save lives and prevent injuries on our journey to Vision Zero where we eliminate all deaths and injuries by 2050.”

Chief Superintendent, Michael Hennebry, An Garda Síochána, said: “The importance of proper fitting of a child car seat cannot be underestimated when it comes to protecting the safety of our younger passengers when travelling in cars. It is equally important to know how to properly adjust car child seats as a child grows. When carrying children in a vehicle, drivers must ensure that they use the correct type of child restraint for the height and weight of the child passengers.”

The RSA have also announced that their face-to-face child car seat checking service – Check it Fits – will be visiting locations around the country again after a long absence due to the pandemic. The service will return in March and people are advised to check the RSA website for updates and details on locations that they will be visiting.