SAFETY CHECKS CARRIED out on child car seats throughout Moray and Aberdeenshire discovered that hundreds had been incorrectly fitted.
In total 513 of the seats were examined – and 329 of those had been fitted in such a way that they could have caused serious or even fatal injuries in an accident.
Now a road safety officer is urging parents in Moray to follow the instructions carefully when fitting child seats. Lucy Cramb said: “All legal car seats have an ‘E’ label attached giving information on the regulations to which they conform – either S129 or EE44.04.
“Seats marked E44.03 are still legal to use but not to sell. Seats without this label are illegal to use.”
She added that when first choosing a seat parents should ensure that it is compatible with the car they own and the weight and height of their child. They should also request that the retailer demonstrate to them how to fit the seat correctly.
Willie Findlay of the Moray Community Safety Partnership underlined the importance of correctly fitted seats when he said: “It is incumbent on all drivers to be responsible on our roads and this extends to being responsible for those passengers they carry, particularly the very young.
“Used correctly, child seats can prevent serious or, in the worst case, fatal injury and I would urge any driver to seek advice if they are unsure about the suitability of their child seat.”
The checks, which have been conducted throughout the summer, also discovered 11 children in Moray being driven while completely unrestrained – both illegal and extremely dangerous.
Car seat clinics are held regularly across Moray and any questions about in-car safety can be directed to communitysafety@moray.gov.uk
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