Advice for Parents

Child Car Seat Safety

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

Almost a third of seats fitted incorrectly needed major adjustments* If a child’s car seat isn’t fitted correctly, it could lead to a serious or fatal injury in the event of a collision

Over half of child car seats (56%) checked by the Road Safety Authority’s “Check it Fits” service were incorrectly fitted and needed some type of adjustment to make them a safe fit. Worryingly, the Check it Fits service found that 30% of these needed a major adjustment to fix them.  If a child’s car seat isn’t fitted correctly, it could lead to a serious or fatal injury in the event of a collision.

In order to increase awareness of car seat safety and reduce misuse rates, the RSA has launched a voluntary Code of Practice for Child Car Seat retailers. The Code of Practice will ensure that best practice is achieved when parents or guardians are buying a child restraint system.  This in turn means that when buying a new child car seat, families can be confident that they are getting the best advice and guidance on the most suitable car seat for their child and car.

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 child car seat checking service – Check it Fits – is on the road visiting locations around the Country.  Check the RSA Website for updates and details on locations that the “Check it Fits” Service will be visiting.

If you can't attend in person

The RSA also offer the “Check it Fits” service virtually so you can request an online appointment with one of their child car seat experts. Booking can be made online.