A recent in-car safety clinic held in East Dunbartonshire revealed that over 50 per cent of the seats checked were incorrectly fitted or incompatible.
As part of the Good Egg In Car Safety Campaign, East Dunbartonshire Council hosted a free clinic in Kirkintilloch to provide support and reassurance to concerned parents, grandparents and carers by providing an accredited car seat fitter who checked their child seats in the car to ensure they were properly installed.
Out of the 22 child car seats inspected, only 10 (45.5%) were fitted correctly, and 12 car seats had a fitment fault. The majority of errors related to the seatbelt securing the child car seat being too loose or following the wrong route, the vehicle headrest impeding the fit, or a slack/twisted harness.
Councillor Susan Murray, Vice Convener of the Place, Neighbourhood & Corporate Assets Committee for East Dunbartonshire Council, said, “We all want our children to travel safely in cars, however, installing a car seat for younger children and babies can prove to be a challenge.
“I was really pleased with the response we had. Many of the parents had heard about our free clinic via social media and decided to take advantage and put their minds at ease.
“While a number of different faults were found the result could be the same; a child not being safely protected in the event of an accident. It’s pleasing that these faults have now been identified and children are safer on the road as a result.
“Remember, if you have any concerns about the fitment of a child restraint in a car or are concerned that the restraint is no longer suitable for the height or weight of the child that uses it, you can contact the Council for a free car seat check.”
Expectant mother Emma Tutty from Kirkintilloch used the service to check the car seat prior to her baby’s arrival.
She said, “It was really helpful to have an expert check over the seat in my car and to get some good information and advice.
“It’s my first child so it was good to get reassurance that it was fitted correctly for when the baby arrives.”
Outwith planned in-car safety clinics, residents of East Dunbartonshire can still request a free car seat check at any point in the year by contacting the Council’s Traffic Officer on 0300 123 451.
For advice on buying a car seat and a comprehensive retailer charter visit the Scottish Good Egg website www.goodeggcarsafety.com.
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