The dangerous mistake that is far too common when fitting car seats

Have you heard about this?

There are various rules and recommendations when it comes to fitting children's car seats, all of which are crucial and as it's National Road Safety week at the moment, there's a lot about the subject in the media. Each time we hear an expert tip, we're all ears and this one comes from Child Seat Safety, who tweeted the below warning earlier this week. This tip is in relation to positioning the car seat, making sure that it's never pushed in below the head restraint.

It reads: "Don't wedge a car seat under a vehicle head restraint. Why? In the event of a collision, the child will be propelled forward. The seat needs to go with them, to protect them. If it's wedged in, the child will move forward without protection. #roadsafety".

Don't wedge a car seat under a vehicle head restraint. Why? In the event of a collision, the child will be propelled forward. The seat needs to go with them, to protect them. If it's wedged in, the child will move forward without protection. #roadsafety pic.twitter.com/qB10gceRW4

— Child Seat Safety (@carseatladies) January 11, 2018

Commenting on this advice, Julie Dagnall, director of Child Seat Safety said that this is a common mistake she often sees. In conversation with Manchester Evening News, she said:

"We check thousands of child car seats on an annual basis and one of the most common mistakes is that parents leave the head restraint in, which pushes the seat forward, or they use it to help hold the seat in place, which in fact stops the seat from working properly in a collision".

Julie also went on to say that not all car seats fit all cars so it's important to choose carefully when buying a car seat. In some cases, the head restraint will require adjustment or may need to be removed entirely. The manual that comes with your chosen car seat is something you'll want to refer to again and again. Another mistake that can occur with car seats is not removing your little one's coat before strapping them in. If an accident occurs, the coat can act as a barrier between them and the seatbelt, potentially causing injury.