Shocking number of children at risk from badly fitted car seats

More than eight in 10 drivers are putting children’s safety at risk by failing to correctly fit child car seats, according to a new safety study.

An on-the-spot roadside investigation by What Car? magazine, Leicestershire Police and Child Seat Safety Ltd, found that only 15 per cent of the child car seats assessed were fitted correctly and were appropriate to the children being carried in them.

The study found that only 31 of the 85 seats tested were fitted correctly (36 per cent). When the suitability of the seat for the child (based on their age and size) and the child’s placement in it were taken into account that dropped to just 13 seats, or 15 per cent.

The installation problems were confined to seats attached with seatbelts. Those with ISOFIX mountings were all found to be fitted properly.

The most common problem, which accounted for 24 per cent of issues, was a harness that was too loose, twisted or incorrectly positioned. A wrongly routed restraint accounted for one in six problems, while 11 per cent required headrest adjustment to ensure the best protection.

While most of the problems found during the investigation could be sorted at the roadside four of the seats were condemned on the spot, with police removing two immediately and forcing the driver to replace them before allowing them to continue their journey.

Steve Huntingford, What Car? editor, said: “Parents and carers often go to great lengths to ensure the safety of children in many aspects of daily life, and it is shocking that the proportion of unsafe child restraints in their cars was so high.

“At best, drivers could land themselves with a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice, but at worst they are significantly increasing the risk of death or serious injury to their children.

“We would urge anyone who transports children in car seats to seek professional advice about fitting them and buy their seats from specialists.”

Child Seat Safety co-director, Julie Dagnall, added: “The evidence from this study was that the overwhelming majority of drivers were exposing the children in their cars to significantly increased risk. It is important to raise awareness of this issue and to offer parents and other drivers carrying children the correct information and guidance.”