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11th October 2024
02:46pm BST
In recognition of Child Safety Day, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is urging parents and guardians to take advantage of its Check It Fits service, designed to ensure child car seats are properly installed.
During Road Safety Week, from October 7th to October 13th, the Check It Fits service is travelling across Ireland, providing expert assistance in fitting child car seats.
After recent visits to Roscommon, Leitrim, and Longford, the initiative will continue to Limerick, Dublin, Laois, and Westmeath in the coming days.
The Check It Fits service is a free, nationwide initiative aimed at alleviating concerns for parents about the safety and security of their child’s car seat.
Launched in response to alarming statistics indicating that over half of child car seats are incorrectly fitted, the service seeks to prevent serious injuries or fatalities in the event of a collision.
As of September 30th, the RSA team had evaluated 4,535 child car seats at 98 events, revealing that only 46% were compliant with safety standards.
The remaining seats were found to be incorrectly fitted and needed adjustments, with 20 seats condemned due to being involved in a crash or failing to meet EU regulations.
Sam Waide, Chief Executive of the RSA, emphasised the importance of proper child restraint.
“Children are among the most vulnerable members of our society, and no parent or guardian would intentionally jeopardise their child's safety.
“Yet, many allow their children to travel without proper restraints, putting their lives at risk. I encourage all parents and guardians to use our expert service - it could save your child's life.”
Recent RSA research highlights the critical nature of this initiative, revealing that from 2019 to 2023, 34 children aged 15 and under lost their lives on Irish roads, with an additional 592 suffering serious injuries.
This age group accounted for 4% of total fatalities and 8% of serious injuries during that time.
In a crash occurring at just 50 km/h, a child not secured in a seatbelt or appropriate car seat could be propelled forward with a force 30 to 60 times their body weight, leading to severe injuries not only to themselves but potentially to others in the vehicle.
It is important to note that all children under 150 cm in height or weighing less than 36 kg (79 lbs) must use a suitable child restraint system while traveling in cars or goods vehicles, with the exception of taxis.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to participate in the Check It Fits service to ensure their children are protected during travel.
