Warning to parents after more than 100 fail child car seat safety check

[davieG]

By Ciaranfagan  |  Posted: August 19, 2015

 

Police said most parents did not know how to safely fit a child's car seat.

 

Police have urged parents to learn how to correctly fit child seats in cars after only three out of more than 100 inspected during a spot check were found to be installed properly.

Police and Leicester City Council road safety officials checked 112 vehicles which were fitted with children's seats during an unannounced inspection at Meridian Leisure Park on Lubbesthorpe Way, Thorpe Astley, Leicester on Monday.

Only three passed the inspection, police said today.

Of the other 109 vehicles, four were told they could not leave the site until the correct seats had been brought to them.

 

The rest were given advice and were helped to install the seats correctly.

Pc Stuart Clough, of the Thorpe Astley beat team, said: "It is really worrying the number of cars that didn't have the seats fitted correctly.

"This could have devastating consequences if the car was in an accident.

"We would like to urge people to check their child's car seat is fitted properly every time they make a journey."

Leicester City Council Road Safety Officers handed out advice leaflets, key rings and stickers to drivers whilst checking their vehicles.

For more information on fitting your child seat, visit the city council's website at:

www.leicester.gov.uk

Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Warning-parents-100-fail-child-car-seat-safety/story-27638086-detail/story.html#ixzz3jLRs3zlX 
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[Rincewind]

Thought this was common knowledge.

[davieG]

Thought this was common knowledge.

Well not to the 109 people the police stopped so I think 'common' is a bit of an exaggeration.

[ramboacdc]

how do you cock up installing a car seat? they can be fiddly getting the seatbelt in sometimes but still! 

[Merging Cultures]

I wish they said what people did wrong in the article so we know what to correct.

I dont think I'm doing if wrong, but how can 110 out of 112 be wrong?

[Rincewind]

Well not to the 109 people the police stopped so I think 'common' is a bit of an exaggeration.

Maybe pharased it wrong. I just meant that it has been mentioned several times over the years. Authorities are always saying it but as in a previous post there seems to be little information on how to do it. Do instructions come with the seats? Maybe a DVD instruction should be compulsory or at least fitted by an expert. Not having kids (or a car) I would not know and would have a professional do it rather than take the risk.

[Merging Cultures]

Maybe pharased it wrong. I just meant that it has been mentioned several times over the years. Authorities are always saying it but as in a previous post there seems to be little information on how to do it. Do instructions come with the seats? Maybe a DVD instruction should be compulsory or at least fitted by an expert. Not having kids (or a car) I would not know and would have a professional do it rather than take the risk.

The thing is, you tend to take them in and out quite a bit, especially if you have two cars but only one car seat per kid. So having an expert install them would be a bit tricky.

But generally they are really simple to install. That's why I wonder what people are doing wrong. Perhaps people can't read institutions?

[Bellend Sebastian]

The City Council offer free checks to see if your car seats are fitted properly.

I thought I'd done a pretty good job but the lady there changed it quite a bit.

I think it's quite easy to install a carseat generally but pretty difficult to tell if you've done it right.

Best tip is not to be involved in a crash

[Jon the Hat]

With Isofix it seems pretty hard to get wrong.

[AyewJoking]

If you follow the installation instructions to the letter you still dont know for sure until you have a collision.

[Hollism]

Maybe everyone bar three knows how to fit a car seat, and it's the police that are doing it wrong