Road safety officers are holding four free clinics next month for parents to ensure that their children are using the correct car seats.
These sessions have proved very popular over the past six years, with the team giving life-saving advice and support. At those events, 755 child car seats were checked and 330 (44%) were found to have been incorrectly fitted or were unsuitable. This meant that they would not have worked effectively in the event of a crash, collision or the vehicle stopping suddenly.
The sessions, which all take place from 10.30am to 3pm, are:
Thursday 5 July – Aldi, Crostons Road, Bury.
Friday 6 July – Aldi, Ramsbottom.
Tuesday 17 July – Asda, Pilsworth.
Wednesday 18 July - Asda, Radcliffe.
Officers from Bury Council will advise on child car seat legislation, the latest developments with child car seats, the types and stages of child car seats, as well as in-car safety best practice. Parents can also have their child car seats checked by an expert from Child Seat Safety Ltd.
Jan Brabin, senior road safety officer, said: “In-car safety is important for all ages, but vital for babies and children who are particularly vulnerable due to their size and the lack of relevant support in vehicles. It is essential that parents get the right advice to help them make informed decisions and give them peace of mind.”
Every child passenger up to a height of 135cm or the age of 12, whichever they reach first, must be in an appropriate child car seat. New legislation came into force last year that will only permit new backless booster seats to be used by children taller than 125cm and weighing more than 22kg.
There is a wide variety of child car seats available and these are not always compatible with every model of vehicle. In addition, fitting instructions for car seats can be confusing and lead to fitting errors.
Jan added: “Every parent wants their child to be safe and secure, and we are there to help them through the confusing process of choosing and installing a child car seat. We encourage all parents of young children to attend one of these events.”