"Over the last two years, 2,811 penalty points notices were issued to drivers for failing to adequately restrain a minor in a vehicle.”
There's an old adage that says, "Everyone thinks they're smart until they try to use someone else's shower" (this is totally, 100% real and not made up).
We think this can be used to accurately reflect car child seats as well.
It seems the Road Safety Authority agrees, as it has announced a new free online child car seat checking service called "Check it Fits".
The service will provide advice and support to parents, grandparents, guardians, and childminders to ensure that child car seats are fitted correctly.
The ‘Check it Fits’ service moved online in response to the Covid-19 pandemic but normally travels around the country providing free safety checks on child car seats.
But now the public book a
virtual appointment with one of the RSA’s child car seat experts and have the car seat checked from home.
“We are delighted to get our ‘Check it Fits’ service back up and running," Sam Waide, Chief Executive, Road Safety Authority, said.
"It’s such an important service and we know that parents, especially new parents, are still looking for advice and guidance on the fitment of child car seats.
"So, while we can’t physically demonstrate the correct way to fit your child’s car seat, we can now do it remotely. The feedback to date on the new online service has been extremely positive with everyone surveyed saying that they were satisfied with their virtual appointment and that they would recommend the virtual service to a friend or family member."
Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, An Garda Síochána also welcomed the launch and said: "Drivers are responsible for passengers under the age of 17 years and should ensure that they are properly restrained in a vehicle.
"If you have any concerns about selecting or fitting the appropriate restraint for young passengers, advice is available from the RSA. Over the last two years 2,811 penalty points notices were issued to drivers for failing to adequately restrain a minor in a vehicle.”
