Slough Borough Council’s road safety and trading standards teams had to condemn a child car seat during their free checks last week as it was too old to be used.
Make sure your child’s seat is fitted correctly.Parents should consider buying a new car seat if their existing one is more than five years old, as plastic starts to degrade and won’t protect their child as well.
The teams were outside Mothercare World on Bath Road, Slough as part of child safety week, and found that 48 percent of seats checked had faults, which would greatly reduce child safety.
Out of the 85 car seats checked, 57 were found with faults, including eight that were incompatible with the vehicle.
Caroline Townsend, senior road safety officer for Slough Council, said: “It’s so important to get help when buying a child car seat. We were very surprised to have found the old one and had to condemn the seat and tell the parents to buy another one.
“It was quite obvious that many parents hadn’t even read the instructions when fitting the seat and this means that children will not be protected in a crash. This could lead to serious or even fatal injuries.”
Points to remember when buying or fitting a child car seat include:
* Buy a seat suitable for the child’s weight – not the age
* Get professional help when buying a seat and ensure that the shop try the seat in your car(s)
* Follow the instructions carefully
* Make sure that anyone transporting your child has a suitable seat in their car
Russell Clarke, technical enforcement officer for the Slough council’s trading standards, added: “It’s extremely important to retain the instructions for the car seats, as so many parents move seats between vehicles.
“If it has been incorrectly fitted in one vehicle, it can be incorrectly fitted in the next. Not every seat fits every car, so it is vital to check the compatibility before purchasing a seat.”
Commissioner for Slough community and leisure, Cllr Shafiq Chaudhry, said: “It’s astounding how many child seats are still not being fitted properly. Parents really need to make sure they fit the seats correctly.
“There is no point in buying a car seat and fitting it incorrectly, as in a crash, it may not help the child at all. Please ask for professional help when fitting a child safety seat.”
Slough Borough Council
