To address the issue of not restraining children properly in cars, the RSA is taking its Check It Fits Roadshow on the road again, from the October 8 to 12. The roadshow will visit Humbert Street car park in Ballina on Saturday October 8 from 10am to 5pm. At the roadshow, parents, guardians, and grandparents will be given the opportunity to get their child’s car restraint fitted by an expert, free of charge.
Road Safety Authority (RSA ) chief executive Noel Brett said: “While child passenger fatalities have decreased significantly since 1997, research from the Check It Fits Roadshow in May tell us that three out of four child car seats were still fitted incorrectly. This is very worrying, particularly when we know that ensuring a child is properly restrained can reduce the possibility of death in a crash by 71 per cent.”
“It is really important that parents, grandparents, and guardians are aware that their child car restraints may currently be ineffective in preventing serious injury or death simply because they are not fitted correctly. Our roadshow experts have checked more than 4,500 child car seats around the country over the past five years and, worryingly, half of all the child car seats checked would have provided little or no protection to the child in the event of a crash. The good news is that this can be fixed so I would urge you to come down to the roadshow on the 8th and give yourself the piece of mind that your child is travelling safely.”
Experts will be on hand at the roadshow to show parents, grandparents, and guardians how to correctly install their child’s car seat, free of charge. These experts will give practical demonstrations to parents or guardians on the day, detailing how their child’s car seat should be installed. They will also be on hand to advise parents on whether the child seat they are using is suitable for the child and the car.
